Chapter 8 of Ulysses is here in full — 580 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Ulysses is here in full — 580 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mr Dedalus bent across to salute. From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed. Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand. The nails, yes. Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
Chapter 8 of Ulysses is here in full — 580 sentences across 116 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/116 · 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.
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading “Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.”
sound recording consisting of a disk with a continuous groove; used to reproduce music by rotating while a phonograph needle tracks in the groove
From this reading “From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.”
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading “Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.”
past form of “review” — look at again; examine again
From this reading “Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.”
propose a toast to
From this reading “Mr Dedalus bent across to salute.”
light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork
From this reading “From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.”
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading “From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.”
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 From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Mr Dedalus bent across to salute.
any thing at all
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading Mr Dedalus bent across to salute.
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr Dedalus bent across to salute.
sound recording consisting of a disk with a continuous groove; used to reproduce music by rotating while a phonograph needle tracks in the groove
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
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 Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr Dedalus bent across to salute.
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
past form of “review” — look at again; examine again
From this reading Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
propose a toast to
From this reading Mr Dedalus bent across to salute.
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Is there anything more in him that they she sees?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Mr Bloom reviewed the nails of his left hand, then those of his right hand.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr Dedalus bent across to salute.
a Caucasian
From this reading From the door of the Red Bank the white disc of a straw hat flashed reply: spruce figure: passed.
an affirmative
From this reading The nails, yes.
Chapter 8 of Ulysses by James Joyce holds 580 sentences, grouped into 116 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 580 sentences of Ulysses, unabridged, divided into 116 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Ulysses by James Joyce exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 580 sentences, grouped into 116 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 116 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 116 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 Ulysses by James Joyce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ulysses section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Ulysses 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 Ulysses, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
