Pride and Prejudice
English
WORD PAIR ENGLISH CLASSICS
Pride and Prejudice (Annotated)
With Word Pairs
in English
Word Pair Edition by
Minghua Li
Original novel by Jane Austen
Word Pair Publishing, LLC
Copyright © 2026 by Minghua Li
All rights reserved with respect to the original annotations, adaptations, Word Pair content, and other original material in this edition. No part of such copyrighted material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission, except as permitted by applicable copyright law.
The original text of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is in the public domain. No copyright is claimed in the original public-domain text.
This annotated edition was created using proprietary Word Pair technology, a patent-pending method that leverages the functionalities of word pairs in text layouts to enhance reading and vocabulary learning.
Published by Word Pair Publishing, LLC
For permissions and inquiries, please contact:
Minghua Li
wordpairbooks@gmail.com
First edition: October 2026
Table of Contents
Note to High School English Teachers.
Before You Begin
A few things to know before you start reading:
This edition is designed for readers who want help with unfamiliar vocabulary and older English expressions while reading the original novel. It serves both native English speakers and learners of English.
For a new word, each Word Pair provides a simpler English equivalent in parentheses immediately after the original word. This may be a single word or a short phrase that explains its meaning in context.
You are reading the original novel.
Jane Austen’s original text has not been simplified or rewritten. Word Pairs and other reading assistance have been added to help readers understand the original language while preserving the original text.
A companion test book is available for readers who want additional study and practice.
If you would like to do additional work on new words and further develop and test your reading comprehension as you read, you can use the following companion test book alongside this edition:
WordPairTest
Vocabulary and Reading Tests
A Companion to the Word Pair Edition of
Pride and Prejudice
See the Endnotes for information on how to obtain the companion test book.
Additional study materials and reading tools are available to give you extra benefits from this book.
You may want to use the additional study materials provided on the Word Pair Publishing website. These include:
Word lists on our website, you can click the words to hear their pronunciation if you find an online dictionary that supports this feature.
An AI-generated study guide to the original novel, providing useful background and discussions of its social and historical setting, plot, characters, themes, and other aspects of the work.
You may also check whether the Word Pair browser extension for AI-powered reading and learning has become available by the time you purchase this book. The extension is being developed to provide additional AI-powered assistance for reading, vocabulary learning, and review.
Visit https://wordpairpublishing.com/ for these study materials and for current information about available Word Pair reading and learning tools.
The
Preface explains how to get the most from this edition.
If this is your first Word Pair book, reading the Preface is recommended. It
explains the Word Pair system, vocabulary lists, reading assistance, study
features, and the ideas behind this edition.
Editor’s Preface
Have you ever wanted to read a classic novel such as Pride and Prejudice but felt intimidated by difficult vocabulary and old-fashioned sentence structures? If so, you are not alone. Even many native English speakers find classic literature challenging. Unfamiliar words, complex grammar, and historical expressions can make it difficult to enjoy the story itself.
Many readers turn to abridged editions, but abridgments often remove much of the author's original style, humor, and insight. When reading the unabridged text, students frequently spend so much effort decoding difficult words and sentences that they miss the wit, character development, and social observations that make Pride and Prejudice one of the most beloved novels in English literature.
This edition was created to make the original novel more accessible to modern readers. The goal is to help students build vocabulary, improve reading confidence, and experience Jane Austen's work as authentically as possible. Instead of struggling with every unfamiliar word, readers can focus on understanding and enjoying the story.
This edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has been adapted using the patent-pending Word Pair™ technique.
Why Word Pairs?
Unfamiliar words can interrupt reading even for readers with a substantial English vocabulary. Footnotes and endnotes provide explanations, but require readers to look away from the passage and then find their place again.
With the arrival of computers, popup translations, word-selection searches, and hover definitions made explanations more accessible to readers who found a text difficult to understand. This was a major advance. However, obtaining assistance through clicks, selections, or cursor movements still comes at the cost of interrupting the reading flow.
Existing reading-assistance approaches broadly include three types: marked-word assistance, where moving the cursor over a marked word or link reveals an explanation; selection-based assistance, where selecting a word displays its translation; and parallel-text assistance, where original and translated sentences or paragraphs appear alongside one another. The first two require an action to reveal assistance; the third requires readers to shift between the original and its translation. In each case, understanding depends on consulting information outside the immediate sequence of the original wording.
These interruptions accumulate, consuming time, creating frustration, and sometimes discouraging further reading. Imagine reading 100 pages a day: how many lookups might be needed, and how much time and enjoyment might be lost? Moreover, some uncommon words may appear fewer than ten times in a reader’s lifetime. Readers need to understand them in the passage, but spending time memorizing every such word may offer little practical benefit.
Word Pair technology places a simpler English equivalent beside an unfamiliar word, together with a native-language equivalent in bilingual editions. The original wording remains, while understanding support becomes part of the text’s layout, immediately available without a click, selection, or separate lookup. The Read-and-Go mechanism lets readers understand words they do not plan to memorize and move on, preserving time and attention for the story and for words they choose to learn.
For English language learners (ELLs), easier, more enjoyable reading also creates opportunities to read more and encounter newly learned words repeatedly in meaningful contexts. We call the resulting development word naturalization: a word gradually becomes directly understandable without requiring conscious translation.
How This Edition Helps You
For many words that may be unfamiliar or difficult, the original text has been enhanced with Word Pairs. A Word Pair consists of an original word from the novel and a Word Companion in parentheses, containing a simpler English word or short phrase. For example, indignation (anger) is a Word Pair for the original word "indignation", and "(anger)" is its Word Companion. This explanation appears directly beside the original word to help you continue reading.
Difficult Sentences and Modern Help
Sometimes the challenge is not just an unfamiliar word, but a phrase or even an entire sentence whose meaning may be difficult for modern readers to understand. In this edition, I have selected passages that may puzzle even native speakers, underlined them, and used AI assistance to generate modern-English equivalents.
These modern versions appear immediately after the original text in curly braces { }. In some ebook formats, they may also appear in green text. Whenever you see a green expression or a passage enclosed in curly braces, it represents a modern-English rendering of the underlined original text.
If you already understand the original wording, you can simply skip the modern version and continue reading.
For example:
Elizabeth disdained the appearance of noticing this civil reflection, but its meaning did not escape, nor was it likely to conciliate her.
{Elizabeth pretended not to notice this polite remark, but she understood its meaning perfectly, and it was not likely to make her feel any more friendly.}
If your reading device does not display colors, you can still identify modern-English renderings by the curly braces { }.
How to Use the Vocabulary Lists
Before each chapter, you will find two vocabulary lists.
The first is the “Word List with Word Pairs: Should-Remember Words.” This list contains approximately ten high-frequency but challenging words selected from the chapter. Each word is presented with a Word Pair and its IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription in American English pronunciation. These are the key words that are most useful to learn if you want to expand your vocabulary.
The second is the “Word List with Word Pairs: Read-and-Go Words.” This list includes the remaining challenging words from the chapter. These words are provided to support smoother reading, allowing you to continue reading without frequently stopping to consult a dictionary.
In the word lists, you will see American English pronunciations written in IPA. These pronunciations are generated with the assistance of AI tools to provide a helpful guide for pronunciation. Because AI produces IPA transcriptions based on probabilistic patterns learned from training data, it is essentially making an informed approximation of likely sounds. As a result, some errors or inconsistencies can occur. For best results, these IPA guides should be treated as a learning aid rather than an authoritative reference. If you wish to verify accuracy, you may compare selected words with trusted dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster and/or Cambridge Dictionary.
This Word Pair Edition also provides structured vocabulary review for readers who wish to expand their vocabulary through extensive reading. The book is designed so that you can return to it after some time and review previously encountered words. You will likely find that many words that once felt unfamiliar have become easier to recognize and understand. As you continue reading other texts, these same words will reappear in different contexts, further strengthening retention. In addition, repeated exposure to synonyms can improve your writing by giving you a wider range of expressions to convey similar ideas.
A Bit More for Vocabulary-Builders
In the first 10 chapters, each Word Pair also sometimes includes a synonym and an antonym or contrasting word for the tough word (for example: flatter (praise:compliment:insult)), for students who want to push their vocabulary further. If that’s not your style, just skip all but the simple synonym.
Possible Extra Value: Standardized-Test-Style Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Practice Tests Based on the Original Book Text
A separate companion test book offers standardized-test-style vocabulary and reading-comprehension practice based on the original text. See the Endnotes for information on obtaining it.
The purpose of designing this test is not primarily to prepare high school students for the actual standardized test, but rather because such exercises greatly help readers deepen their understanding of the original text. Readers can assess how well they comprehend the story.
Moreover, I have long held the ideal of allowing students to prepare for exams while engaged in pleasure reading. Today, when students practice reading comprehension tests solely for exam preparation, the reading material often fails to contribute meaningful knowledge acquisition; it becomes reading solely for answering questions, valuable only for test prep and nothing else. My design integrates standardized-test-like testing within the joyful reading experience itself, enabling readers not only to check their understanding of the original work but gradually to become familiar with possible standardized tests.
In my view, incorporating tests based on interest reading is a win-win for both comprehension and exam preparation.
About the AI
The synonyms and modern sentence versions were all created using AI tools, and checked by me to make sure they fit the context. No changes were made to the original story, so you are reading Jane Austen’s words—just with some smart support.
A New Way to Read Classics
My hope is that, with this edition, high school students who wish to improve their vocabulary and reading skills can finally experience the humor, sharp dialogue, and subtle wit of Jane Austen’s original novel. Whether you are preparing for AP English, seeking a new challenge, or simply hoping to enjoy a great story, this book is designed to support your reading rather than slow it down.
This adaptation is based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, first published by T. Egerton in London in 1813, with the text sourced from Project Gutenberg’s public-domain edition.
This Word Pair–adapted version of Pride and Prejudice represents an early stage—Version 1.0—of an ongoing effort to make classic literature more accessible using Word Pair technology and AI-assisted tools. While AI-generated assistance is not yet perfect and occasional errors may remain despite careful review, this edition aims to provide a meaningful and practical reading aid for readers who might otherwise struggle with unfamiliar vocabulary and complex sentence structures. As AI technology continues to improve, further refined versions will follow. In the meantime, I welcome feedback and hope this edition serves as a helpful bridge to classic literature.
I have worked on adapting additional works using the Word Pair technique, creating a series of Word Pair–adapted editions. The selection will primarily focus on classic literature commonly assigned in American high schools, with the goal of making these texts more accessible to readers with limited vocabulary.
Many students encounter difficulty when reading classic literature due to the frequency of unfamiliar words. By using Word Pair editions and regularly reviewing vocabulary in context, readers can gradually strengthen word recognition and improve reading fluency over time. With sustained reading practice across multiple Word Pair editions, readers may significantly expand their vocabulary and develop greater confidence when approaching unadapted texts.
I have been working on Word Pair adaptations of classic literature and related research for more than three years. As this edition is prepared for publication, several additional titles are already completed and will be released in close succession. This will form a series of ten Word Pair editions:
1. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
2. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
3. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
4. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
6. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
7. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
9. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
10. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Each Word Pair Edition is accompanied by a separate volume of Standardized-Test-Style Vocabulary and Reading Practice Tests. The Word Pair Edition of A Christmas Carol is an exception. Because of its shorter length, the practice tests are included within the book itself rather than being published separately.
To find other Word Pair editions and their companion WordPairTest books, search Amazon for “Minghua Li.”
You may contact me through Word Pair Publishing, LLC at wordpairbooks@gmail.com.
Happy reading!
Note to High School English Teachers.
Dear High School English Teachers,
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a cornerstone of many English literature courses and is widely used to develop students’ reading, writing, and analytical skills.
One of the persistent challenges students face when reading classic literature is vocabulary and sentence structure. Limited class time often requires a fast reading pace, which can make it difficult for some students to fully engage with the original text while also focusing on higher-level analysis and discussion.
The Word Pair Edition is designed to support independent reading of the original text by providing contextual vocabulary assistance directly alongside Austen’s language. The goal is to help students maintain comprehension while continuing to engage with authentic literary language, so they can participate more confidently in classroom discussion and analysis.
I welcome feedback, questions, and suggestions from educators. If you have insights on how this edition could better support your students, I would be glad to hear from you.
You may contact me through Word Pair Publishing, LLC at wordpairbooks@gmail.com.
Chapter 1
Word List with word pairs: Should-Remember Words
1. engage /ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ/ (promise:commit:refuse)
2. possession /pəˈzɛʃən/ (ownership:control:relinquishment)
3. reserve /rɪˈzɜrv/ (restraint:reticence:openness)
4. flatter /ˈflætər/ (praise:compliment:insult)
5. scrupulous /ˈskrupjələs/ (careful:cautious:careless)
6. vexing /ˈvɛksɪŋ/ (annoying:irritating:pleasing)
7. sarcastic /sɑrˈkæstɪk/ (mocking:cynical:sincere)
8. caprice /kəˈpris/ (whim:impulse:consistency)
Word List with word pairs: Read-and-Go Words
1. chaise /ʃeɪz/ (carriage:coach:car)
2. solace /ˈsɑlɪs/(comfort:consolation:distress)
IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession (ownership:control:relinquishment) of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
{However little people may know about the feelings or thoughts of such a man when he first moves into an area, this fact is so firmly believed by the nearby families that they see him as the rightful match for one of their daughters.}
"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let (rented:leased:bought) at last?"
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it."
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
"Do not you want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife, impatiently.
"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."
This was invitation enough.
{This was more than enough of an invitation.}
"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise (carriage:coach:car) and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession (ownership:control:relinquishment) before Michaelmas (autumn festival:harvest time:spring festival), and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week."
"What is his name?"
"Bingley."
"Is he married or single?"
"Oh, single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"
"How so? how can it affect them?"
"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome? You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."
"Is that his design in settling here?"
"Design? Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."
"I see no occasion for that. {I don’t see any reason for that.} You and the girls may go—or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party."
"My dear, you flatter (praise:compliment:insult) me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty."
"In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of."
"But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood."
"It is more than I engage (promise:commit:refuse) for, I assure you."
{"I can't promise that, I assure you."}
"But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account; for in general, you know, they visit no new comers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him, if you do not."
"You are over scrupulous (careful:cautious:careless), surely. I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying whichever he chooses of the girls—though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy."
"I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others: and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving her the preference."
"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he: "they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters."
"Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing (annoying:irritating:pleasing) me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves."
"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least."
"Ah, you do not know what I suffer."
"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood."
"It will be no use to us, if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them."
"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all."
Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic (mocking:cynical:sincere) humour, reserve (restraint:reticence:openness), and caprice (whim:impulse:consistency), that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develope. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married: its solace (comfort:consolation:distress) was visiting and news.
{"It won't matter if twenty such men come, since you won't visit them." "Trust me, my dear, when there are twenty, I'll visit them all." Mr. Bennet was a strange mix of quick thinking, mocking humor, self-control, and unpredictability. Even after twenty-three years, his wife still couldn't understand him. Her mind was simpler to figure out. She wasn't very smart, knew little, and had an unpredictable mood. When she was unhappy, she thought she was anxious. Her life's main goal was to get her daughters married. Her only comfort was visiting others and hearing gossip.}
Chapter 2
Word List with word pairs: Should-Remember Words
1. compassion /kəmˈpæʃən/ (sympathy:kindness:indifference)
2. discretion /dɪˈskrɛʃən/ (judgment:wisdom:indiscretion)
3. sensible /ˈsɛnsəbl/ (reasonable:sound:foolish)
4. fatigued /fəˈtiɡd/(exhausted:tired:fresh)
5. acquaintances /əˈkweɪntənsɪz/ (familiarity:associate:friend)
6. amends /əˈmɛndz/ (compensation:reparation:damage)
7. resentfully /rɪˈzɛntfəli/ (bitterly:angrily:pleasantly)
8. hypocritical /ˌhɪpəˈkrɪtɪkəl/ (deceitful:insincere:honest)
9. deigned /deɪnd/ (stooped:lowered herself:ignored)
10. reflection /rɪˈflɛkʃən/ (thoughtfulness:introspection:cursory thought)
Word List with word pairs: Read-and-Go Words
1. fretfully /ˈfrɛtfəli/ (irritably:grumpily:happily)
2. circumspection /ˌsɜrkəmˈspɛkʃən/ (caution:wisdom:rashness)
3. emphatic /ɛmˈfætɪk/ (forceful:intense:gentle)
4. raptures /ˈræpʧərz/ (delight:jubilations:sadness)
5. stoutly /ˈstaʊtli/ (firmly:boldly:timidly)
6. conjecturing /kənˈdʒɛkʧərɪŋ/ (speculating:theorizing:knowing)
7. tumult /ˈtuːmʌlt/ (commotion:uproar:calm)
MR. BENNET was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr. Bingley. He had always intended to visit him, though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go; and till the evening after the visit was paid she had no knowledge of it. It was then disclosed (revealed:uncovered:hidden) in the following manner. Observing his second daughter employed in trimming a hat, he suddenly addressed her with,—
{Mr. Bennet was one of the first people to visit Mr. Bingley. He had always planned to go see him, even though he kept telling his wife he wouldn't. His wife didn't know about the visit until the evening after it happened. Then, he revealed it like this: He saw his second daughter fixing a hat and suddenly said to her,}
“I hope Mr. Bingley will like it, Lizzy.”
“We are not in a way to know what Mr. Bingley likes,” said her mother, resentfully (bitterly:angrily:pleasantly), “since we are not to visit.”
“But you forget, mamma,” said Elizabeth, “that we shall meet him at the assemblies, and that Mrs. Long has promised to introduce him.”
“I do not believe Mrs. Long will do any such thing. She has two nieces of her own. She is a selfish, hypocritical (deceitful:insincere:honest) woman, and I have no opinion of her.”
“No more have I,” said Mr. Bennet; “and I am glad to find that you do not depend on her serving you.”
Mrs. Bennet deigned (stooped:lowered herself:ignored) not to make any reply; but, unable to contain herself, began scolding one of her daughters.
“Don’t keep coughing so, Kitty, for heaven’s sake! Have a little compassion (sympathy:kindness:indifference) on my nerves. You tear them to pieces.”
“Kitty has no discretion (judgment:wisdom:indiscretion) in her coughs,” said her father; “she times them ill.”
{"Kitty doesn't think about when she coughs," said her father. "She always coughs at the wrong time." }
“I do not cough for my own amusement,” replied Kitty, fretfully (irritably:grumpily:happily). “When is your next ball to be, Lizzy?”
“To-morrow fortnight (two weeks:fourteen days:one week).”
“Ay, so it is,” cried her mother, “and Mrs. Long does not come back till the day before; so, it will be impossible for her to introduce him, for she will not know him herself.”
“Then, my dear, you may have the advantage of your friend, and introduce Mr. Bingley to her.”
“Impossible, Mr. Bennet, impossible, when I am not acquainted (familiar:introduced:unfamiliar) with him myself; how can you be so teasing?”
“I honour your circumspection (caution:wisdom:rashness). A fortnight’s acquaintance (familiarity:association:stranger) is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But if we do not venture (dare:risk:safety), somebody else will; and after all, Mrs. Long and her nieces must stand their chance; and, therefore,as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office (task:duty:leisure), I will take it on myself.”
The girls stared at their father. Mrs. Bennet said only, “Nonsense, nonsense!”
“What can be the meaning of that emphatic (forceful:intense:gentle) exclamation?” {"Why did you say that so strongly?"} cried he. “Do you consider the forms of introduction, and the stress that is laid on them, as nonsense? {Do you think the way people are introduced to each other, and how important we make it, is silly? } I cannot quite agree with you there. What say you, Mary? {What do you think, Mary?} For you are a young lady of deep reflection (thoughtfulness:introspection:cursory thought), I know, and read great books, and make extracts.”
Mary wished to say something very sensible (reasonable:sound:foolish), but knew not how.
“While Mary is adjusting her ideas,” he continued, “let us return to Mr. Bingley.”
“I am sick of Mr. Bingley,” cried his wife.
“I am sorry to hear that; but why did you not tell me so before? If I had known as much this morning, I certainly would not have called on him. It is very unlucky; but as I have actually paid the visit, we cannot escape the acquaintance (familiarity:association:unfamiliarity) now."
The astonishment of the ladies was just what he wished—that of Mrs. Bennet perhaps surpassing the rest; though when the first tumult (commotion:uproar:calm) of joy was over, she began to declare that it was what she had expected all the while.
“How good it was in you, my dear Mr. Bennet! But I knew I should persuade you at last. I was sure you loved your girls too well to neglect such an acquaintance. Well, how pleased I am! And it is such a good joke, too, that you should have gone this morning, and never said a word about it till now.”
“Now, Kitty, you may cough as much as you choose,” said Mr. Bennet; and, as he spoke, he left the room, fatigued (exhausted:tired:fresh) with the raptures (delight:jubilations:sadness) of his wife.
“What an excellent father you have, girls,” said she, when the door was shut. “I do not know how you will ever make him amends (compensation:reparation:damage) for his kindness; or me either, for that matter. At our time of life, it is not so pleasant, I can tell you, to be making new acquaintances (familiarity:associate:friend) every day; but for your sakes we would do anything. Lydia, my love, though you are the youngest, I dare say Mr. Bingley will dance with you at the next ball.”
“Oh,” said Lydia, stoutly (firmly:boldly:timidly), “I am not afraid; for though I am the youngest, I’m the tallest.”
The rest of the evening was spent in conjecturing (speculating:theorizing:knowing) how soon he would return Mr. Bennet’s visit, and determining when they should ask him to dinner.
Chapter 3
Word List with word pairs: Should-Remember Words
1. amiable /ˈeɪmiəbəl/ (friendly:likeable:unpleasant)
2. resentment /rɪˈzɛntmənt/ (anger:bitterness:forgiveness)
3. scarcity /ˈskɛrsəti/ (shortage:lack:abundance)
4. cordial /ˈkɔrdʒəl/ (warm:friendly:hostile)
5. vexed /vɛkst/ (annoyed:irritated:pleased)
6. conceited /kənˈsitəd/ (arrogant:vain:humble)
7. detest /dɪˈtɛst/ (hate:loathe:love)
8. sprained /spreɪnd/ (twisted:injured:healed)
Word List with word pairs: Read-and-Go Words
1. barefaced /ˈbɛrˌfeɪst/ (obvious:blatant:subtle)
2. ingenious /ɪnˈdʒiːniəs/ (clever:creative:unimaginative)
3. countenance /ˈkaʊntənəns/ (face:expression:disapproval)
4. suppositions /ˌsʌpəˈzɪʃənz/ (assumptions:theories:facts)
5. eluded /ɪˈludəd/ (avoided:escaped:confronted)
6. ascertaining /ˌæsərˈteɪnɪŋ/ (determining:confirming:doubting)
7. deferred /dɪˈfɜrd/ (postponed:delayed:hastened)
8. disconcerted /ˌdɪskənˈsɜrtəd/ (confused:flustered:composed)
9. unaffected /ˌʌnəˈfɛktəd/ (natural:genuine:pretentious)
10. mien /min/ (bearing:demeanor:awkwardness)
11. forbidding /fərˈbɪdɪŋ/ (unfriendly:repellent:welcoming)
12. unreserved /ˌʌnrɪˈzɜrvd/ (open:frank:guarded)
13. dispatched /dɪˈspætʃt/ (sent:delivered:received)
14. slighted /ˈslaɪtəd/ (ignored:disregarded:acknowledged)
Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the assistance of her five daughters, could ask on the subject, was sufficient to draw from her husband any satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley. {Despite Mrs. Bennet's persistent questioning, even with the help of her five daughters, she couldn't get her husband to provide a satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley.} They attacked him in various ways, with barefaced (obvious:blatant:subtle) questions, ingenious (clever:creative:unimaginative) suppositions (assumptions:theories:facts), and distant surmises (guesses:speculations:certainties); but he eluded (avoided:escaped:confronted) the skill of them all; and they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbour, Lady Lucas. { They tried to get information from him using various tactics: asking blunt questions, coming up with clever theories, and making vague guesses. However, he managed to dodge all their attempts. In the end, they had no choice but to rely on secondhand information from their neighbor, Lady Lucas.} Her report was highly favourable. Sir William had been delighted with him. He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party. Nothing could be more delightful! To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love; and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley's heart were entertained.
"If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield," said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, "and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for."
In a few days Mr. Bingley returned Mr. Bennet's visit, and sat about ten minutes with him in his library. He had entertained hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose beauty he had heard much; but he saw only the father. The ladies were somewhat more fortunate, for they had the advantage of ascertaining (determining:confirming:doubting), from an upper window, that he wore a blue coat and rode a black horse.
An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards despatched (sent:delivered:received); and already had Mrs. Bennet planned the courses that were to do credit to her housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred (postponed:delayed:hastened) it all. {They soon invited him to dinner. Mrs. Bennet had already planned dishes that would show her skill as a hostess when his reply forced her to postpone the dinner.} Mr. Bingley was obliged to be in town the following day, and consequently unable to accept the honour of their invitation, etc. Mrs. Bennet was quite disconcerted (confused:flustered:composed). She could not imagine what business he could have in town so soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear that he might always be flying about from one place to another, and never settled at Netherfield as he ought to be. Lady Lucas quieted her fears a little by starting the idea of his being gone to London only to get a large party for the ball; and a report soon followed that Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him to the assembly. The girls grieved over such a number of ladies; but were comforted the day before the ball by hearing that, instead of twelve, he had brought only six with him from London, his five sisters and a cousin. And when the party entered the assembly-room, it consisted of only five altogether: Mr. Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and another young man.
Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike: he had a pleasant countenance (face:appearance:disguise), and easy, unaffected (natural:genuine:pretentious) manners. His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion. His brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, merely looked the gentleman {His brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, only appeared to be a gentleman.}; but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien (bearing:demeanor:awkwardness), and the report, which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could save him from having a most forbidding (unfriendly:repellent:welcoming), disagreeable countenance (face:expression:disapproval), and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.
Mr. Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room: he was lively and unreserved (open:frank:guarded), danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield. Such amiable (friendly:likeable:unpleasant) qualities must speak for themselves. What a contrast between him and his friend! Mr. Darcy danced only once with Mrs. Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party. His character was decided. He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and everybody hoped that he would never come there again. Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs. Bennet, whose dislike of his general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment (anger:bitterness:forgiveness) by his having slighted one of her daughters.
Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by the scarcity (shortage:lack:abundance) of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances; and during part of that time, Mr. Darcy had been standing near enough for her to overhear a conversation between him and Mr. Bingley, who came from the dance for a few minutes to press his friend to join it.
"Come, Darcy," said he, "I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance."
"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest (hate:loathe:love) it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable (unbearable:intolerable:enjoyable). Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."
"I would not be so fastidious (picky:fussy:easygoing) as you are," cried Bingley, "for a kingdom! Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening; and there are several of them, you see, uncommonly pretty."
"You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room," said Mr. Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.
"Oh, she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you."
"Which do you mean?" and turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till, catching her eye, he withdrew his own, and coldly said, "She is tolerable: but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted (ignored:disregarded:acknowledged) by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."
Mr. Bingley followed his advice. Mr. Darcy walked off; and Elizabeth remained with no very cordial (warm:friendly:hostile) feelings towards him. She told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends; for she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous.
The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family. Mrs. Bennet had seen her eldest daughter much admired by the Netherfield party. Mr. Bingley had danced with her twice, and she had been distinguished by his sisters. Jane was as much gratified (pleased:satisfied:disappointed) by this as her mother could be, though in a quieter way. Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure. Mary had heard herself mentioned to Miss Bingley as the most accomplished girl in the neighbourhood; and Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enough to be never without partners, which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a ball. They returned, therefore, in good spirits to Longbourn, the village where they lived, and of which they were the principal inhabitants. They found Mr. Bennet still up. With a book, he was regardless of time; and on the present occasion he had a good deal of curiosity as to the event of an evening which had raised such splendid expectations. He had rather hoped that all his wife's views on the stranger would be disappointed; but he soon found that he had a very different story to hear.
"Oh, my dear Mr. Bennet," as she entered the room, "we have had a most delightful evening, a most excellent ball. I wish you had been there. Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it. Everybody said how well she looked; and Mr. Bingley thought her quite beautiful, and danced with her twice. Only think of that, my dear: he actually danced with her twice; and she was the only creature in the room that he asked a second time. First of all, he asked Miss Lucas. I was so vexed (annoyed:irritated:pleased) to see him stand up with her; but, however, he did not admire her at all; indeed, nobody can, you know; and he seemed quite struck with Jane as she was going down the dance. So he inquired who she was, and got introduced, and asked her for the two next. Then, the two third he danced with Miss King, and the two fourth with Maria Lucas, and the two fifth with Jane again, and the two sixth with Lizzy, and the Boulanger——" {He danced the third pair of dances with Miss King, the fourth pair with Maria Lucas, the fifth pair with Jane again, and the sixth pair with Lizzy, followed by the Boulanger.}
"If he had had any compassion for me," cried her husband impatiently, "he would not have danced half so much! For God's sake, say no more of his partners. O that he had sprained(twisted:injured:healed) his ancle in the first dance!"
"Oh, my dear," continued Mrs. Bennet, "I am quite delighted with him. He is so excessively handsome! and his sisters are charming women. I never in my life saw anything more elegant than their dresses. I dare say the lace upon Mrs. Hurst's gown——"
Here she was interrupted again. Mr. Bennet protested against any description of finery. She was therefore obliged to seek another branch of the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit, and some exaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Mr. Darcy.
"But I can assure you," she added, "that Lizzy does not lose much by not suiting his fancy; for he is a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited (arrogant:vain:humble), that there was no enduring him! He walked here, and he walked there, fancying himself so very great! Not handsome enough to dance with! I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given him one of your set-downs. I quite detest(hate:loathe:love) the man."