Chapter V
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 of Ulysses is here in full — 572 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly. Grey. Far. No, not like that. A barren land, bare waste.
Ulysses
Chapter V · Chapter 5
Chapter 5 of Ulysses is here in full — 572 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
A
cloud
began
to
cover
the
sun
slowly,
wholly.
Grey.
Far.
No,
not
like
that.
A
barren
land,
bare
waste.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Ulysses
Chapter V · Chapter 5
Chapter 5 of Ulysses is here in full — 572 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/114 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
A
cloud
began
to
cover
the
sun
slowly,
wholly.
/ə klaʊd bɪˈɡæn tuː ˈkʌvər ðə sʌn ˈsloʊli ˈhoʊli/
Line 2
Grey.
/ɡreɪ/
Line 3
Far.
/fɑːr/
Line 4
No,
not
like
that.
/noʊ nɑːt laɪk ðæt/
Line 5
A
barren
land,
bare
waste.
/ə ˈbærən lænd ber weɪst/
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.
bare
adjective
US /ber/
completely unclothed
From this reading “A barren land, bare waste.”
barren
adjective
US /ˈbærən/
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading “A barren land, bare waste.”
cloud
verb
US /klaʊd/
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading “A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.”
cover
verb
US /ˈkʌvər/
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading “A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.”
Grey
adjective
US /ɡreɪ/
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading “Grey.”
slowly
adverb
US /ˈsloʊli/
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.”
waste
noun
US /weɪst/
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading “A barren land, bare waste.”
wholly
adverb
US /ˈhoʊli/
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.”
All words in this reading · 19
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 A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
bareadjectiveUS /ber/
completely unclothed
From this reading A barren land, bare waste.
barrenadjectiveUS /ˈbærən/
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading A barren land, bare waste.
beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
cloudverbUS /klaʊd/
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
coververbUS /ˈkʌvər/
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
FaradverbUS /fɑːr/
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Far.
GreyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading Grey.
landnounUS /lænd/
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading A barren land, bare waste.
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading No, not like that.
NodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading No, not like that.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No, not like that.
slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
sunnounUS /sʌn/
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No, not like that.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
wastenounUS /weɪst/
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading A barren land, bare waste.
whollyadverbUS /ˈhoʊli/
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading A cloud began to cover the sun slowly, wholly.
Chapter 5 of Ulysses by James Joyce holds 572 sentences, grouped into 115 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.
What does chapter 5 of Ulysses contain?
Chapter 5 holds 572 sentences of Ulysses, unabridged, divided into 115 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Ulysses by James Joyce exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 572 sentences, grouped into 115 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 5 of Ulysses?
Work through the 115 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 115 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 5 be read aloud to me?
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 Ulysses
Common questions about reading Ulysses by James Joyce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Ulysses?
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Ulysses is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Ulysses take to read?
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Ulysses section by section
How to work through Ulysses section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Ulysses to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Ulysses
Words and structures a reader meets early in Ulysses, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Chapter 1
- One of the 0 chapters of Ulysses, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
- Chapter 2
- One of the 0 chapters of Ulysses, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
- Chapter 3
- One of the 0 chapters of Ulysses, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.