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Exit Betty
Exit Betty

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Exit Betty is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Exit Betty
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.
He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.
He felt the family expected him some time soon.
Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.
They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.
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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.

Exit Betty

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Exit Betty is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.
/bɑːb hæd dʒʌst ˈfɪnɪʃt ˈfiːdɪŋ ðə ˈtʃɪkənz wen ðə ˈɔːtəmoʊbiːl druː ʌp æt ðə dɔːr ənd hiː ˈhɜːrid ərˈaʊnd ðə haʊs tuː siː huː ɪt maɪt biː/
Line 2
He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.
/hiː wɑːz ˈræðər ˈlʊkɪŋ fɔːr ðə rɪˈtɜːrn ʌv ðæt naɪs ˈlɔːjər əˈɡen/
Line 3
He felt the family expected him some time soon.
/hiː felt ðə ˈfæməli ɪkˈspektəd hɪm sʌm taɪm suːn/
Line 4
Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.
/pərˈhæps hiː wʊd biː tuː ˈbrekfəst ənd ˈmʌðər wʊd wɑːnt sʌm freʃ eɡz/
Line 5
They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.
/ðeɪ hæd drɑːpt baɪ æt ðə edʒ ʌv ðə ˈvɪlədʒ ənd ðer wɜːr ˈoʊnli ˈhʌtən ənd ðə ˈdraɪvər huː hæd brɔːt ðem/

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.

automobile noun US /ˈɔːtəmoʊbiːl/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading “BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.”

chickens noun US /ˈtʃɪkənz/

plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food

From this reading “BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.”

driver noun US /ˈdraɪvər/

the operator of a motor vehicle

From this reading “They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.”

eggs noun US /eɡz/

oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food

From this reading “Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.”

feeding noun US /ˈfiːdɪŋ/

the act of consuming food

From this reading “BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.”

hurried adjective US /ˈhɜːrid/

moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste

From this reading “BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.”

Hutton noun US /ˈhʌtən/

English cricketer (1916-1990)

From this reading “They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.”

lawyer noun US /ˈlɔːjər/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

From this reading “He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.”

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.

fresh eggs adjective + noun

In this reading “Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.”

just finished adverb + adjective

In this reading “BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.”

some time adjective + noun

In this reading “He felt the family expected him some time soon.”

at the door preposition + article + noun counted as “at … door”

In this reading “BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.”

at the edge preposition + article + noun counted as “at … edge”

In this reading “They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.”

around the house preposition + article + noun counted as “around … house”

In this reading “BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

automobilenounUS /ˈɔːtəmoʊbiːl/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

BinounUS /baɪ/

a heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically); usually recovered as a by-product from ores of other metals

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

BOBverbUS /bɑːb/

move up and down repeatedly

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

chickensnounUS /ˈtʃɪkənz/

plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

drewnounUS /druː/

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

drivernounUS /ˈdraɪvər/

the operator of a motor vehicle

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

droppedverbUS /drɑːpt/

inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

edgenounUS /edʒ/

the boundary of a surface

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

eggsnounUS /eɡz/

oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food

From this reading Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.

expectedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspektəd/

considered likely or probable to happen or arrive

From this reading He felt the family expected him some time soon.

familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading He felt the family expected him some time soon.

feedingnounUS /ˈfiːdɪŋ/

the act of consuming food

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading He felt the family expected him some time soon.

finishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪnɪʃt/

(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

freshadjectiveUS /freʃ/

recently made, produced, or harvested

From this reading Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He felt the family expected him some time soon.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

hurriedadjectiveUS /ˈhɜːrid/

moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

HuttonnounUS /ˈhʌtən/

English cricketer (1916-1990)

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

lawyernounUS /ˈlɔːjər/

a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.

niceadjectiveUS /naɪs/

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

PerhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading He felt the family expected him some time soon.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading He felt the family expected him some time soon.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading He felt the family expected him some time soon.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was rather looking for the return of that nice lawyer again.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading They had dropped Bi at the edge of the village and there were only Hutton and the driver who had brought them.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading BOB had just finished feeding the chickens when the automobile drew up at the door, and he hurried around the house to see who it might be.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Perhaps he would be to breakfast and mother would want some fresh eggs.

Chapter 17 of Exit Betty by Grace Livingston Hill holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 17 of Exit Betty contain?

Chapter 17 holds 148 sentences of Exit Betty, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Exit Betty by Grace Livingston Hill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 17 of Exit Betty?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 Exit Betty

Common questions about reading Exit Betty by Grace Livingston Hill on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Exit Betty?

Yes. All 3042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30759 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Exit Betty is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #30759, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Exit Betty take to read?

About 253 minutes of reading across 609 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Exit Betty section by section

How to work through Exit Betty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 18 chapters of Exit Betty to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Exit Betty

Words and structures a reader meets early in Exit Betty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Crowd
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Exit Betty; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Glided
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Exit Betty; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Smoothly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Exit Betty; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Canopied
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Exit Betty; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.