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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Chapter XXXVI · Chapter 36

Chapter 36 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.
That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.
But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.
Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!
Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Chapter XXXVI · Chapter 36

Chapter 36 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.
Line 2
That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.
Line 3
But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.
Line 4
Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!
Line 5
Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

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.

Huck noun US /hʌk/

toweling consisting of coarse absorbent cotton or linen fabric

From this reading “Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?”

inscription noun US /ˌɪnˈskrɪpʃən/

letters inscribed (especially words engraved or carved) on something

From this reading “Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.”

job noun US /dʒɑːb/

the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

From this reading “Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.”

pens noun US /penz/

plural of “pen” — a writing implement with a point from which ink flows

From this reading “Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.”

prisoner noun US /ˈprɪzənər/

a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading “That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.”

scrabble noun US /ˈskræbəl/

an aimless drawing

From this reading “That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.”

tough adjective US /tʌf/

not given to gentleness or sentimentality

From this reading “Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.”

toughest adjective US /ˈtʌfəst/

superlative of “tough” — not given to gentleness or sentimentality

From this reading “Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.”

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.

tough job adjective + noun

In this reading “Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.”

Look at verb + particle

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading ““Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!”

leave behind verb + particle

depart and not take along

In this reading “But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.”

on the wall preposition + article + noun counted as “on … wall”

In this reading “That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

allowedverbUS /əˈlaʊd/

past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

casenounUS /keɪs/

an occurrence of something

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

considerble

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

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

distressid

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

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

Dudley

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

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

Gilford

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

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

GreyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

he'd

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

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

how

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

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

HucknounUS /hʌk/

toweling consisting of coarse absorbent cotton or linen fabric

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

inscriptionnounUS /ˌɪnˈskrɪpʃən/

letters inscribed (especially words engraved or carved) on something

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

Jane

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

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

Jim

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

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

jobnounUS /dʒɑːb/

the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

LookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

MakingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

Northumberlandnoun

the northernmost county of England; has many Roman remains (including Hadrian's Wall)

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.

pensnounUS /penz/

plural of “pen” — a writing implement with a point from which ink flows

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

prisonernounUS /ˈprɪzənər/

a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.

s'pose

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

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

saysnounUS /sez/

plural of “say” — the chance to speak

From this reading “Look at Lady Jane Grey,” he says; “look at Gilford Dudley; look at old Northumberland!

scrabblenounUS /ˈskræbəl/

an aimless drawing

From this reading That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.

scrabbling

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

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

That's

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

From this reading That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

toughadjectiveUS /tʌf/

not given to gentleness or sentimentality

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

toughestadjectiveUS /ˈtʌfəst/

superlative of “tough” — not given to gentleness or sentimentality

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

troublenounUS /ˈtrʌbəl/

a source of difficulty

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

wallnounUS /wɔːl/

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.

warn't

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

From this reading But he had to have it; Tom said he’d _got_ to; there warn’t no case of a state prisoner not scrabbling his inscription to leave behind, and his coat of arms.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Making them pens was a distressid tough job, and so was the saw; and Jim allowed the inscription was going to be the toughest of all.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading That’s the one which the prisoner has to scrabble on the wall.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Why, Huck, s’pose it _is_ considerble trouble?—what you going to do?—how you going to get around it?

Chapter 36 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 36 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn contain?

Chapter 36 holds 156 sentences of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 36 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 36 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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 36 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 36 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 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Common questions about reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

Yes. All 5842 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32325 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #32325, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn take to read?

About 486 minutes of reading across 1169 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn section by section

How to work through The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 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 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Scene
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mississippi
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Valley
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Forty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.