Chapter 17 of Dubliners is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Dubliners is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mr Kernan changed the subject at once. “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said. “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.” “Yes, yes,” said Mr Kernan, trying to remember. “I remember now there was a policeman.
Chapter 17 of Dubliners is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “Mr Kernan changed the subject at once.”
a boy or man
From this reading ““That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.”
socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
From this reading ““That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.”
relating to the study or practice of medicine
From this reading ““That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.”
the right to buy or sell property at an agreed price; the right is purchased and if it is not exercised by a stated date the money is forfeited
From this reading ““Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.””
a member of a police force
From this reading ““I remember now there was a policeman.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading ““Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.””
hard to endure
From this reading ““Yes, yes,” said Mr Kernan, trying to remember.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr Kernan changed the subject at once.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
an occurrence of something
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading Mr Kernan changed the subject at once.
a boy or man
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
a boy or man
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I remember now there was a policeman.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr Kernan changed the subject at once.
relating to the study or practice of medicine
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr Kernan changed the subject at once.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “I remember now there was a policeman.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
on one occasion
From this reading Mr Kernan changed the subject at once.
and nothing more
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
the right to buy or sell property at an agreed price; the right is purchased and if it is not exercised by a stated date the money is forfeited
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “I remember now there was a policeman.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
To recall to mind.
From this reading “Yes, yes,” said Mr Kernan, trying to remember.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading Mr Kernan changed the subject at once.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr Kernan changed the subject at once.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “I remember now there was a policeman.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Yes, yes,” said Mr Kernan, trying to remember.
hard to endure
From this reading “Yes, yes,” said Mr Kernan, trying to remember.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “Only for him——” “O, only for him,” said Mr Power, “it might have been a case of seven days, without the option of a fine.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, yes,” said Mr Kernan, trying to remember.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “That was a decent young chap, that medical fellow,” he said.
Chapter 17 of Dubliners by James Joyce holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 17 holds 190 sentences of Dubliners, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Dubliners by James Joyce exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 17 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.
