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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28: CHAPTER XXVIII

That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

Chapter 28: CHAPTER XXVIII, section 1: That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure. They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tave
Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.
They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.
Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.
The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.
But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.
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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.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28: CHAPTER XXVIII

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.
Line 2
They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.
Line 3
Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.
Line 4
The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.
Line 5
But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

Learner Dictionary

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

ready adjective US /ˈredi/

completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

From this reading “That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.”

Collocations
That nightA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
night TomA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 74

Every word is available to listen to. 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 They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

adventure

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

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

alley

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

bed

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

came

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

clear

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

closed

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

considerable

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

darkness

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

degree

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

distance

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

door

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

empty

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

entered

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

From this reading Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.

fairnounUS /fair/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

hogshead

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

home

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

Huck

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

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

hung

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.

keys

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.

maow

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

neighborhood

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

night

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

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

nine

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

NobodypronounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/

no person; not anyone

From this reading Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.

other

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

out

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

promised

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

readyadjectiveUS /ˈredi/

completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

remainednounUS /ˈremained/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

resembling

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

From this reading Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.

retiredverbUS /rɪˈtaɪərd/

went away to a private place

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

slip

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

Spaniard

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

From this reading Nobody entered the alley or left it; nobody resembling the Spaniard entered or left the tavern door.

sugar

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

tavern

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

Tom

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

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

try

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

twelve

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

understanding

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

watch

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

From this reading But the night remained clear, and Huck closed his watch and retired to bed in an empty sugar hogshead about twelve.

watching

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

From this reading They hung about the neighborhood of the tavern until after nine, one watching the alley at a distance and the other the tavern door.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading That night Tom and Huck were ready for their adventure.

whereupon

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading The night promised to be a fair one; so Tom went home with the understanding that if a considerable degree of darkness came on, Huck was to come and “maow,” whereupon he would slip out and try the keys.

Chapter Quiz

What is the central narrative or theme conveyed in this section of Chapter 28?

Which core linguistic virtue or character attribute is emphasized in this passage?

According to the text: "CHAPTER IV...", what tone does the author establish?

Shadowing Practice

Narrator: CHAPTER IV
Narrator: sincere and honest at heart; and he held sacred things and places