“Tom Sawyer”   by Mark Twain

During 2024 we are going to do a series of English lessons related to famous authors and their books. One of the regular peices of advice I give to all of my students is that one of the best ways to advance your vocabulary and understand another culture is to read.  Reading expands your knowledge, increases your knowledge of the English language and how we use it and opens your world. When I ask my students the question: “Do you read?” invariably, they say no. Unfortunately, the internet seems to have killed books.

Grammar included:  “Varied”     

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Book Study FIVE:

Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

 

Chapter One:  INTRODUCTION

In this English lesson, we will discuss the remarkable world of Mark Twain’s classic novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Transporting readers back to their childhood, Twain masterfully depicts the mischievous and endearing young protagonist, Tom Sawyer. As you read this masterpiece, you are sure to encounter lively exchanges between well-drawn characters; for instance when Tom proclaims, “Aunt Polly—honestly, I did not want to steal it,” or when Aunt Polly scolds him with a stern “Don’t let me ever catch you in such a lie again.” Get ready to explore the heartwarming and humorous essence of a bygone era in America through Mark Twain’s timeless tale.

Now let’s recap any new vocabulary:

Synonyms:  (Mischievous)  Always in trouble.

Synonyms: (Protagonist)  The main character in a story

GRAMMAR:  Q1 (The passive voice) 

1. Identify the correct passive voice construction for the following sentence:
“Tom Sawyer painted the fence.”
a) The fence painted by Tom Sawyer.
b) The fence was painted by Tom Sawyer.
c) By Tom Sawyer, the fence was painting.
d) Painting the fence was Tom Sawyer.

OPTIONAL:  Now write a simple sentence in the passive voice using the word:    “heartwarming.”

Video Listening Section:  Watch the 5 minute video and answer the four questions below:  AMERICAN ACCENT

Questions:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Who does Tom Sawyer live with?
               2. At about 40 seconds she uses a common expression “to watch paint dry” what does it mean?
               3. She describes Tom as a “Smooth Operator”  What is a smooth operator.
               4. In the book Tom has a buddy called Huckleberry Fin.  What is a “Buddy”?
               5. Indian (injun) Joe was a Native American half breed.  What is a “half breed”?
               6. What is a “Curfew”?
               7. What does “to be remorseful” mean?
               8. “To step up your game”  What does it mean?
               9. What are “shenanagans”
               10. What is the girl’s name that is speaking in the video?    You will see her name at the very beginning of the video.

Section Two:

In the sleepy river town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, not far from where the mighty Mississippi meandered along, a young boy named Tom Sawyer was about to embark on a series of adventures that would one day become legendary. Tom was an imaginative and mischievous boy, always finding ways to bend the rules while just barely avoiding serious trouble with the grown-ups.

On that particular morning, Aunt Polly had been searching high and low for Tom, shouting his name in frustration as she looked behind every tree and under every rock in their small yard. Finally, she spied him crouching behind the woodpile near the house, his brown eyes wide with feigned innocence.

Now let’s recap any new vocabulary:

Synonyms: (To meander)  move slowly

Synonyms: (Crouching)  sitting or hiding

Grammar Q2:

2. Find the correctly punctuated sentence related to Tom Sawyer’s adventure:
a) Tom, Huck and Joe decided to start an adventure on Jackson’s Island but they failed; they hadn’t prepared well enough.
b) Tom, Huck and Joe decided to start an adventure on Jackson’s Island; but they failed they hadn’t prepared: well enough.
c) Tom, Huck, and Joe decided to start an adventure on Jackson’s Island; but they failed: they hadn’t prepared well enough,
d) Tom; Huck and Joe decided to start an adventure on Jackson’s Island but they failed, they hadn’t prepared well enough.

OPTIONAL:  Now write a simple sentence in the active voice using the word:    “grown-ups”

Section Three:

“Thomas Sawyer!” Aunt Polly scolded, her hands on her hips as she loomed over him. “Have you been hiding from your chores again? I bet I catched you this time! You’ve got fence whitewashing to do today, and don’t think you can worm your way out of it.”

Tom sighed dramatically but knew better than to argue with his stern but loving guardian. He put on his best pitiful face as he resigned himself to a long day of tedious labour under the fierce Missouri sun.    Little did he know that this seemingly dull chore would lead to a valuable lesson in cunning and resourcefulness.

Now let’s recap any new vocabulary:

Synonyms: (To scold)  To get angy with someone.

Synonyms: (Work your way out of something)  To not give an explanation.

Grammar Q3:

3. Select the grammatically correct version of this sentence:
a) Aunt Polly, whom expected honesty from Tom, felt disappointed by his lies.
b) Aunt Polly, who expected honesty from Tom felt disappointed by his lies.
c) Aunt Polly who expected honesty from Tom felt disappointed by his lies,
d) Aunt Polly, who expected honesty from Tom, felt disappointed by his lies.

OPTIONAL:  Now write a simple sentence in the active voice using the word:    “whitewashing”

Section Four:

The white picket fence encircling Aunt Polly’s property was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint. As Tom sized up the enormity of the task before him, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy for his best friend Huckleberry Finn who, lacking any adult supervision or expectations, was free to roam about as he pleased without being saddled with such burdensome manual labour. If only there were some way for Tom to turn this dreaded chore into an opportunity for fun and amusement.

Now let’s recap any new vocabulary:

Synonyms:  (A twinge)  A small amount of pain.

Synonyms:  (Free to roam) Can go anywhere.

Grammar 4:

Parallenism: 

Parallelism in English grammar refers to the practice of maintaining a consistent structure and balance throughout a sentence, particularly when dealing with lists, clauses, or phrases. By ensuring that comparable elements in a sentence share the same grammatical form, parallelism enhances readability and clarity.

For example, consider the sentence:  “John likes reading books, playing tennis, and to draw.”  This sentence is not parallel, as the three actions have different grammatical forms. A parallel version would be:  “John likes reading books, playing tennis, and drawing.”  In this improved sentence, all three activities are presented as gerunds (-ing verbs), creating a more coherent and balanced structure.

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