Chapter 1 of Exiles: A Play in Three Acts is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Exiles: A Play in Three Acts is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RICHARD. [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father. [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD. [_Suddenly._] No, no. Not the smiler, Miss Justice.
Chapter 1 of Exiles: A Play in Three Acts is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “[_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.”
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “[_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.”
in a gay manner
From this reading “[_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.”
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading “[_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.”
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading “Not the smiler, Miss Justice.”
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “[_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “[_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.”
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.
In this reading “[_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.”
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 [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.
anew
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
in a gay manner
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading Not the smiler, Miss Justice.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Not the smiler, Miss Justice.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
not any; not one
From this reading [_Suddenly._] No, no.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not the smiler, Miss Justice.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading [_A knock is heard at the hall door on the left._] RICHARD.
by chance
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RICHARD.
a person who smiles
From this reading Not the smiler, Miss Justice.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading [_Suddenly._] No, no.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading [_Gazing again at the drawing, calmly, almost gaily._] He will help me, perhaps, my smiling handsome father.
Chapter 1 of Exiles: A Play in Three Acts by James Joyce holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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.
Chapter 1 holds 420 sentences of Exiles: A Play in Three Acts, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Exiles: A Play in Three Acts by James Joyce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 1 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 Exiles: A Play in Three Acts by James Joyce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3734 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55945 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55945, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 311 minutes of reading across 747 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Exiles: A Play in Three Acts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Exiles: A Play in Three Acts 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 Exiles: A Play in Three Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
