Chapter XXI
Chapter 21
Chapter 21 of Ulysses is here in full — 586 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
—Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say. —Aha... I was forgetting... Excuse... —And four.
Ulysses
Chapter XXI · Chapter 21
Chapter 21 of Ulysses is here in full — 586 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
—Twopence,
sir,
the
shopgirl
dared
to
say.
—Aha...
I
was
forgetting...
Excuse...
—And
four.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Ulysses
Chapter XXI · Chapter 21
Chapter 21 of Ulysses is here in full — 586 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/117 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
—Twopence,
sir,
the
shopgirl
dared
to
say.
Line 2
—Aha...
Line 3
I
was
forgetting...
/aɪ wɑːz fərˈɡetɪŋ/
Line 4
Excuse...
/ɪksˈkjuːs/
Line 5
—And
four.
/ənd fɔːr/
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.
dared
verb
US /derd/
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “—Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.”
Excuse
verb
US /ɪksˈkjuːs/
accept an excuse for
From this reading “Excuse...”
forgetting
verb
US /fərˈɡetɪŋ/
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “I was forgetting...”
four
noun
US /fɔːr/
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading “—And four.”
say
verb
US /seɪ/
express in words
From this reading “—Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.”
sir
noun
US /sɜːr/
term of address for a man
From this reading “—Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.”
All words in this reading · 14
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.
Aha
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading —Aha...
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading —And four.
daredverbUS /derd/
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading —Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.
ExcuseverbUS /ɪksˈkjuːs/
accept an excuse for
From this reading Excuse...
forgettingverbUS /fərˈɡetɪŋ/
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading I was forgetting...
fournounUS /fɔːr/
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading —And four.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was forgetting...
sayverbUS /seɪ/
express in words
From this reading —Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.
shopgirl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading —Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.
sirnounUS /sɜːr/
term of address for a man
From this reading —Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading —Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading —Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.
Twopencenoun
a former United Kingdom silver coin; United Kingdom bronze decimal coin worth two pennies
From this reading —Twopence, sir, the shopgirl dared to say.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was forgetting...
Chapter 21 of Ulysses by James Joyce holds 586 sentences, grouped into 118 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 21 of Ulysses contain?
Chapter 21 holds 586 sentences of Ulysses, unabridged, divided into 118 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Ulysses by James Joyce exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 586 sentences, grouped into 118 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 21 of Ulysses?
Work through the 118 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 118 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 21 be read aloud to me?
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.
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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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Vocabulary met early in Ulysses
Words and structures a reader meets early in Ulysses, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Chapter 1
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- Chapter 2
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- Chapter 3
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