Pellegrini is basically a querky Italian grandma. She can be very funny but she tends to make fun of your mistakes, so make sure you don't take things she says personally. Because she isn't a TA, she has the power to improvise on tests and lesson plans, which is a very good thing. We did not have an oral exam, and there were no oral questions or dictations on her quizes. However, on the final I feel like I did just fine with the oral sections and the dictation. Pellegrini is a barrel of laughs and reminds you daily not to take yourself too seriously. I looked forward to going to class every day.

If you're not an italian master, you might want to steer clear of her class. while she is funny at times, i found that she's only funny because she's so mean...honestly. i know that sounds ridiculous, but i feel that it's true. she's very picky and won't hesitate to correct you on grammar points you haven't yet learned. she isn't very inviting when it comes to soliciting help, as it seems that she'd rather take the opportunity to poke fun at you, even in front of the class. while it becomes more light-hearted as the class wears on, it gets old having to be on your feet ALL of the time in her class. i got an A, but i know spanish already, which is similar, and i'm sure i'd have had a harder time if it were my first foreign language. final advice: avoid her if you can help it. if you're advanced, got for it.