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The story of Burnt Njal
The story of Burnt Njal

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The story of Burnt Njal is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The story of Burnt Njal
Context Illustration Reading 1/5 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
UNNA SEPARATES FROM HRUT.
Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.
"Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."
He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".
So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The story of Burnt Njal

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The story of Burnt Njal is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/5 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
UNNA SEPARATES FROM HRUT.
Line 2
Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.
Line 3
"Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."
Line 4
He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".
Line 5
So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.
/soʊ ʃiː ˈprɑːməst ðæt ənd ðen ðeɪ roʊd tuː ðə θɪŋ/

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.

bargain noun US /ˈbɑːrɡən/

an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each

From this reading “He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".”

dealings noun US /ˈdiːlɪŋz/

social or verbal interchange (usually followed by “with”)

From this reading “He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".”

kinsman noun US /ˈkɪnzmæn/

a male relative

From this reading “Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.”

promised verb US /ˈprɑːməst/

past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment

From this reading “So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.”

ride verb US /raɪd/

sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions

From this reading “Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.”

rode verb US /roʊd/

inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions

From this reading “So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.”

separates noun US /ˈsepəreɪts/

plural of “separate” — a separately printed article that originally appeared in a larger publication

From this reading “UNNA SEPARATES FROM HRUT.”

west noun US /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

From this reading “He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".”

All words in this reading · 71

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 He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

answeredverbUS /ˈænsərd/

past form of “answer” — react verbally

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

Auzur's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

bargainnounUS /ˈbɑːrɡən/

an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

dealingsnounUS /ˈdiːlɪŋz/

social or verbal interchange (usually followed by “with”)

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

else

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading UNNA SEPARATES FROM HRUT.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

HRUT

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading UNNA SEPARATES FROM HRUT.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

kinsmannounUS /ˈkɪnzmæn/

a male relative

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

promiseverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/

make a promise or commitment

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

promisedverbUS /ˈprɑːməst/

past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment

From this reading So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.

rideverbUS /raɪd/

sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

rodeverbUS /roʊd/

inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions

From this reading So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

saysnounUS /sez/

plural of “say” — the chance to speak

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

SEPARATESnounUS /ˈsepəreɪts/

plural of “separate” — a separately printed article that originally appeared in a larger publication

From this reading UNNA SEPARATES FROM HRUT.

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

Sigmund

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading So she promised that, and then they rode to the Thing.

ThingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

underhandadjective

with hand brought forward and up from below shoulder level

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

UNNA

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading UNNA SEPARATES FROM HRUT.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well!" says she, "I spoke to thee because I have better right to ask this from thee than from any one else."

westnounUS /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading He answered, "I will make a bargain with thee: thou must promise to ride back west with me, and to have no underhand dealings against Hrut or myself".

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Now the time for the Thing was coming on, Unna spoke to Sigmund Auzur's son, and asked if he would ride to the Thing with her; he said he could not ride if his kinsman Hrut set his face against it.

Chapter 8 of The story of Burnt Njal by George Webbe, Sir [Translator] Dasent holds 29 sentences, grouped into 6 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.

What does chapter 8 of The story of Burnt Njal contain?

Chapter 8 holds 29 sentences of The story of Burnt Njal, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The story of Burnt Njal by George Webbe, Sir [Translator] Dasent exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 29 sentences, grouped into 6 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 8 of The story of Burnt Njal?

Work through the 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 6 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 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Vocabulary met early in The story of Burnt Njal

Words and structures a reader meets early in The story of Burnt Njal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The story of Burnt Njal, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The story of Burnt Njal, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.