Betty at St. Benedick's

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Betty at St. Benedick's is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ethel Talbot • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Betty at St. Benedick's

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

For, after the meeting with Sybil in the school wood, she had taken the head girl’s words to heart and had tried to go about everyday things as quietly and evenly as she could and in an everyday manner.

The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XII Reading 1/29

Betty at St. Benedick's

Chapter XII

Chapter 12 of Betty at St. Benedick's is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

/ðə ˈtrækɪŋ ˌekspəˈdɪʃən ə wiːk hæd pæst/

Line 2

Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

/ˈsætərdi hæd kʌm ənd ðə kʌp wɑːz nɑːt jet faʊnd/

Line 3

It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

Line 4

Line 5

The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

curiously adverb US /ˈkjʊriəsli/

in a manner differing from the usual or expected

From this reading “The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.”

evenly adverb US /ˈiːvənli/

in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way

From this reading “For, after the meeting with Sybil in the school wood, she had taken the head girl’s words to heart and had tried to go about everyday things as quietly and evenly as she could and in an everyday manner.”

everyday adjective US /ˈevriˈdeɪ/

found in the ordinary course of events

girl's noun US /ɡɜːrlz/

possessive form of “girl” — a young female

juniors noun US /ˈdʒuːnjərz/

plural of “junior” — term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male

From this reading “The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.”

Saturday noun US /ˈsætərdi/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading “Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.”

sobering adjective US /ˈsoʊbərɪŋ/

tending to make sober or more serious

From this reading “It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.”

tracking noun US /ˈtrækɪŋ/

the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind

From this reading “THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

look at verb + particle

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.”

All words in this reading · 64

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading For, after the meeting with Sybil in the school wood, she had taken the head girl’s words to heart and had tried to go about everyday things as quietly and evenly as she could and in an everyday manner.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

Betty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

CupnounUS /kʌp/

a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle

From this reading Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

curiouslyadverbUS /ˈkjʊriəsli/

in a manner differing from the usual or expected

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

evenlyadverbUS /ˈiːvənli/

in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

everydayadjectiveUS /ˈevriˈdeɪ/

found in the ordinary course of events

EXPEDITIONnounUS /ˌekspəˈdɪʃən/

a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country

From this reading THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

girl'snounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

possessive form of “girl” — a young female

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

juniorsnounUS /ˈdʒuːnjərz/

plural of “junior” — term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/

with low volume

SaturdaynounUS /ˈsætərdi/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

schoolnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

soberingadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊbərɪŋ/

tending to make sober or more serious

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

spentadjectiveUS /spent/

depleted of energy, force, or strength

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

Sybil

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It had been, perhaps, the most sobering week that Betty had ever spent in her life.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

TRACKINGnounUS /ˈtrækɪŋ/

the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind

From this reading THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

weeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading THE TRACKING EXPEDITION A week had passed.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wonderingadjectiveUS /ˈwʌndərɪŋ/

showing curiosity

From this reading The other juniors might look at her curiously now and again as though wondering whether Betty had forgotten.

woodnounUS /wʊd/

the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Saturday had come, and the Cup was not yet found.

Chapter 12 of Betty at St. Benedick's by Ethel Talbot holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 12 of Betty at St. Benedick's contain?

Chapter 12 holds 145 sentences of Betty at St. Benedick's, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of Betty at St. Benedick's by Ethel Talbot exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 12 of Betty at St. Benedick's?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Betty at St. Benedick's

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Yes. All 2074 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71201 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #71201, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 172 minutes of reading across 415 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Words and structures a reader meets early in Betty at St. Benedick's, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Whole: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betty at St. Benedick's; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Betty: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betty at St. Benedick's; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Although: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betty at St. Benedick's; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XII

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