Pride and Prejudice
By Jane Austen
Adapted for English Learners by Mark Yager
Chapter 2
A Visit to Netherfield
Mrs. Bennet was still thinking about Mr. Bingley.
A wealthy young man had moved into Netherfield Park, and she wanted her husband to visit him. But Mr. Bennet had refused to promise anything.
What Mrs. Bennet did not know was that her husband had already visited their new neighbor.
Mr. Bennet enjoyed keeping this secret. He also enjoyed teasing his wife.
One evening, the Bennet family was sitting together at home.
Jane, the oldest daughter, was quiet and gentle. She always tried to see the good in other people.
Elizabeth, the second daughter, was clever and curious. She enjoyed laughing and often understood her father's jokes.
Mary, the middle daughter, was serious and preferred reading books to attending parties.
Kitty and Lydia, the two youngest daughters, were very different from Mary. They loved dancing, meeting people, and hearing news about young men. Lydia was especially lively and confident. Kitty often followed her younger sister's ideas.
Mrs. Bennet was talking about Mr. Bingley again.
"I wonder what he looks like," she said. "Mrs. Long says he is very handsome."
"Perhaps he is very old," Mr. Bennet suggested.
"Old? Of course not! He is a young man!"
"Perhaps he is already in love with someone."
"Don't say such things! We must meet him before another family introduces him to their daughters."
Mr. Bennet smiled.
Elizabeth noticed the smile. She expected her father to make another joke.
"Papa," she asked, "do you know something about Mr. Bingley that we don't know?"
"Why should I know anything about him?"
"Because you look very pleased with yourself."
Mr. Bennet did not answer.
Mrs. Bennet sighed.
"I wish you would stop teasing us. You know how important this opportunity is."
At that moment, Kitty began to cough.
"Kitty!" Mrs. Bennet cried. "Must you cough so loudly? You are hurting my nerves!"
"Mother, I cannot help it," Kitty answered.
"Then perhaps you should choose a better time to cough," Mr. Bennet said.
Elizabeth laughed, but Mrs. Bennet was not amused.
Lydia, who was thinking about the next dance in Meryton, suddenly spoke.
"When will there be another ball? I hope Mr. Bingley comes. Perhaps he will dance with me!"
"You are the youngest," Mrs. Bennet replied. "You should not expect him to choose you before your older sisters."
"But I am the tallest!" Lydia said proudly.
Jane smiled at her younger sister.
"Perhaps Mr. Bingley will be friendly to everyone," she said.
"That would be very nice," Mary added. "But good manners are more important than dancing."
Lydia looked at Mary.
"You always talk about serious things!"
"And you always talk about dancing," Mary replied.
Mr. Bennet listened to his daughters with interest.
Then he turned to his wife.
"My dear, when is your next visit to Mrs. Long?"
"Tomorrow, perhaps. Why?"
"Because she might introduce you to Mr. Bingley."
Mrs. Bennet shook her head.
"She cannot introduce us! She has not met him herself. Besides, she has two nieces. She will want Mr. Bingley to marry one of them."
"Then we must be careful," Mr. Bennet said. "Perhaps we should ask Mr. Bingley to promise that he will not marry anyone until he has met all five of our daughters."
"Mr. Bennet! You are impossible!"
"I only want to help."
"No, you want to make fun of me!"
Mr. Bennet looked toward Elizabeth.
"Well, Lizzy, what do you think? Should I write to Mr. Bingley and tell him that you are the cleverest daughter in the family?"
Elizabeth smiled.
"I would prefer you not to do that, Papa."
"Very well. I will keep your talents a secret."
Mrs. Bennet was becoming impatient.
"Why must you joke about everything? You could have visited Mr. Bingley days ago!"
"Could I?" Mr. Bennet asked.
"Yes! And now we may lose our opportunity to meet him."
"That would be unfortunate."
Mrs. Bennet looked at him angrily.
Then Mr. Bennet finally decided to reveal his secret.
"You may be pleased to know," he said calmly, "that I have already visited Mr. Bingley."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Mrs. Bennet jumped from her chair.
"You visited him?"
"Yes."
"And you did not tell me?"
"No."
"Oh, Mr. Bennet! How wonderful!"
Her anger disappeared immediately.
The daughters were excited too.
Jane looked pleased but remained quiet.
Elizabeth laughed.
"I knew you were hiding something, Papa!"
Mary wanted to know what Mr. Bingley had said during the visit.
Kitty asked whether he liked dancing.
Lydia wanted to know if he would attend the next ball.
Everyone had questions, but Mr. Bennet gave very few answers.
Mrs. Bennet was delighted.
"You are a wonderful husband!" she cried. "I knew you would help our daughters!"
Mr. Bennet smiled.
"Then perhaps you will allow me to finish my book in peace."
But Mrs. Bennet was too happy to stop talking.
Now the family could finally meet their wealthy new neighbor.
Soon there would be a public ball in Meryton, and Mr. Bingley was expected to attend.
The Bennet daughters began to imagine what the evening would be like.
None of them knew that another gentleman would come with Mr. Bingley.
His name was Mr. Darcy.
And the first meeting with him would not go as everyone expected.
Vocabulary Practice
Key Words
surprise • reveal • curious • excited • expect • introduce • neighbor • tease
Part 1: Complete the Sentences
Use the words above to fill in the blanks.
I'm ______ about our new neighbor.
She was very ______ about the party.
Can you ______ me to your friend?
My brother likes to ______ me.
They planned a birthday ______.
We ______ him to arrive tomorrow.
She decided to ______ her secret.
Our new ______ is very friendly.
Part 2: Make It Personal
Choose three vocabulary words and write a sentence about your own life using each one.
Review from Chapter 1: prefer • opportunity
Reading Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. What did Mr. Bennet do without telling his family?
A. He invited Mr. Darcy to dinner.
B. He visited Mr. Bingley.
C. He organized a ball.
2. Which daughter is especially interested in dancing and meeting young men?
A. Mary
B. Jane
C. Lydia
3. Why does Mrs. Bennet become angry with her husband?
A. He keeps joking instead of telling her what he has done.
B. He wants to move to Netherfield Park.
C. He refuses to allow his daughters to attend a ball.
4. Why does Elizabeth suspect her father knows something?
A. He has received a letter.
B. He looks pleased with himself and seems to be hiding something.
C. He has invited Mrs. Long to visit.
5. What can we understand about Mr. Bennet's behavior?
A. He does not care about his daughters at all.
B. He is afraid to meet Mr. Bingley.
C. He enjoys teasing his family but has quietly done something to help them.
6. What does the family's reaction to the news show?
A. All five daughters have exactly the same personality.
B. The daughters are interested in different things, even when they hear the same news.
C. The daughters do not want to meet Mr. Bingley.
Think and Talk
Practice speaking or writing in complete sentences. Try to use the new vocabulary.
Family and Personality
How are Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia different from one another?
Why do you think Mr. Bennet enjoys keeping his visit a secret?
Which Bennet daughter would you be most curious to meet? Why?
Surprises and Expectations
Why does Mrs. Bennet's attitude toward her husband change so quickly?
Do you think Mr. Bennet's teasing is friendly or sometimes unkind? Explain.
Your Predictions
6. What do you expect to happen when the Bennet daughters meet Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy at the ball?
Practice English with AI
Turn your reading into a real English conversation.
You can practice with ChatGPT or another AI conversation assistant. Copy the prompt below, along with the Chapter 2 story text for reference, and begin speaking or typing in English.
Your AI Conversation Prompt
Copy and paste the story and prompt into your AI …
I am learning English at the B1 intermediate level. I have just read Chapter 2, "A Visit to Netherfield," from an adapted version of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Please act as my friendly English conversation tutor.
Follow these steps:
First, ask me to summarize what happened in the chapter in my own words.
Help me practice these vocabulary words: surprise, reveal, curious, excited, expect, introduce, neighbor, and tease.
Review these words from Chapter 1: prefer and opportunity.
Ask me questions about family surprises, friendly teasing, meeting new neighbors, and looking forward to future events.
Encourage me to describe a surprising event from my own life using the past simple tense.
At the end, help me review what I learned.
Important instructions:
Ask only one question at a time.
Use natural English appropriate for B1 learners.
Wait for my answer before asking another question.
After each answer, briefly respond to what I said.
Correct important grammar or vocabulary mistakes gently, without interrupting the conversation too much.
Show me a more natural way to express my ideas when helpful.
Encourage me to use new vocabulary in my answers.
Help me practice descriptive adjectives when talking about people.
If I do not understand a question, explain it using simpler English.
At the end, give me feedback on my vocabulary, grammar, and fluency, along with three suggestions for improvement.
Chapter 2 Writing Challenge
Topic: A Surprising Day
Write a short paragraph of 80–120 words about a surprise you experienced or a surprise you would like to plan.
Consider these questions:
What happened, or what would you like to happen?
Who was involved?
What did people expect before the surprise?
How did people react?
Why was the experience memorable?
Try to use at least five vocabulary words or expressions from Chapter 2.
If you write about a real event, practice using the past simple tense: visited, revealed, expected, laughed, asked, discovered.
When you finish, you can ask your AI tutor to review your paragraph and suggest improvements while keeping your original ideas.
Practice with a Language Exchange Partner
Connect English to Your Life
These questions help you use the vocabulary from Chapter 2 to discuss everyday experiences, relationships, and expectations.
Your conversation partner does not need to read Pride and Prejudice. You can also practice the questions with AI before talking with another person.
Part 1: Family and Surprises
Vocabulary: surprise, reveal
What is one pleasant surprise you have experienced? Who was involved?
Do you prefer planning surprises for other people or receiving surprises yourself? Why?
When you have exciting news, do you reveal it immediately or wait for the right moment?
Part 2: Personality and Humor
Vocabulary: tease, curious, prefer
Do people in your family enjoy teasing one another? When is teasing friendly, and when can it become hurtful?
Are you naturally curious about other people's lives, or do you prefer to keep to yourself?
Which personality qualities do you appreciate most in family members or close friends?
Part 3: Neighbors and New People
Vocabulary: neighbor, introduce
Do you know your neighbors well? How did you first meet them?
When someone new moves into your neighborhood, do people usually introduce themselves?
What is the best way to make a new person feel welcome in your community?
Part 4: Excitement and Expectations
Vocabulary: excited, expect, opportunity
What upcoming event are you excited about? Why are you looking forward to it?
Have you ever expected something to happen, but the result was completely different?
What opportunities do you expect to have as your English improves?