Chapter 40 of The Last of the Vikings is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of The Last of the Vikings is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SUNSHINE HAS ITS SHADOWS. "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence." Byron. We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles. Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
Chapter 40 of The Last of the Vikings is here in full — 50 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
From this reading “Byron.”
plural of “chronicle” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.”
plural of “extract” — a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water)
From this reading “We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “SUNSHINE HAS ITS SHADOWS.”
(Norse mythology) mythical Norse warrior hero who gains an accursed hoard of gold and was killed by Brynhild; Siegfried is the German counterpart
From this reading “Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.”
the rays of the sun
From this reading “SUNSHINE HAS ITS SHADOWS.”
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “"Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."”
plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading “Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.”
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 “We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.”
In this reading “"Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."”
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 "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
From this reading Byron.
plural of “chronicle” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
the state or fact of existing
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
plural of “extract” — a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water)
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading SUNSHINE HAS ITS SHADOWS.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading SUNSHINE HAS ITS SHADOWS.
immediately past
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
engage in
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
cut with a saw
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading SUNSHINE HAS ITS SHADOWS.
(Norse mythology) mythical Norse warrior hero who gains an accursed hoard of gold and was killed by Brynhild; Siegfried is the German counterpart
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
the rays of the sun
From this reading SUNSHINE HAS ITS SHADOWS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
a special situation
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We must now make an end for the present of our extracts from these somewhat interesting chronicles.
at the time that
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Man's love is of a man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence."
plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading Sigurd, when we last saw him, was lying in the arms of death, overborne by many wounds and hard circumstances.
Chapter 40 of The Last of the Vikings by John (Novelist) Bowling holds 50 sentences, grouped into 10 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 40 holds 50 sentences of The Last of the Vikings, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of The Last of the Vikings by John (Novelist) Bowling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 50 sentences, grouped into 10 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 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 10 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 40 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.
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About 471 minutes of reading across 1133 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Last of the Vikings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
