Chapter 8 of Dubliners is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Dubliners is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Every place is immoral,” he said. “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris. Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance. That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose. You know what they are, I suppose?”
Chapter 8 of Dubliners is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading “Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.”
plural of “bit” — a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading ““Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.”
deliberately violating accepted principles of right and wrong
From this reading ““Every place is immoral,” he said.”
an occurrence of something
From this reading “Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.”
full of life and energy
From this reading “That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.”
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading “That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.”
producing a burning sensation on the taste nerves
From this reading ““Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.”
plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading “Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You know what they are, I suppose?”
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
plural of “bit” — a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “Every place is immoral,” he said.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Every place is immoral,” he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You know what they are, I suppose?”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
deliberately violating accepted principles of right and wrong
From this reading “Every place is immoral,” he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Every place is immoral,” he said.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know what they are, I suppose?”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
full of life and energy
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Every place is immoral,” he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Every place is immoral,” he said.
producing a burning sensation on the taste nerves
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
From this reading Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.
express a supposition
From this reading You know what they are, I suppose?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You know what they are, I suppose?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Go to one of the students’ balls, for instance.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading You know what they are, I suppose?”
at the time that
From this reading That’s lively, if you like, when the _cocottes_ begin to let themselves loose.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Of course you do find spicy bits in Paris.
Chapter 8 of Dubliners by James Joyce holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.
Chapter 8 holds 203 sentences of Dubliners, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Dubliners by James Joyce exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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.
Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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.
Common questions about reading Dubliners by James Joyce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4667 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2814 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2814, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 388 minutes of reading across 934 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dubliners section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Dubliners to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Dubliners, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
