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The story of Burnt Njal
The story of Burnt Njal

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of The story of Burnt Njal is here in full — 62 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The story of Burnt Njal
Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NJAL'S ADVICE.
"I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.
Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.
Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.
Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The story of Burnt Njal

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of The story of Burnt Njal is here in full — 62 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
NJAL'S ADVICE.
Line 2
"I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.
/aɪ hæv θɔːt ˈoʊvər ðə suːt ənd ɪt wɪl duː soʊ/
Line 3
Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.
/ðaʊ ʃælt raɪd frʌm hoʊm wɪð tuː men æt ðaɪ bæk/
Line 4
Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.
Line 5
Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.
/ðaʊ mʌst teɪk ə smɔːl æks ɪn ðaɪ hænd ənd iːtʃ ʌv juː mʌst hæv tuː ˈhɔːrsəz wʌn fæt ðə ˈʌðər liːn/

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.

axe noun US /æks/

an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle

From this reading “Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.”

cheap adjective US /tʃiːp/

relatively low in price or charging low prices

From this reading “Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.”

cloak noun US /kloʊk/

anything that covers or conceals

From this reading “Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.”

fat adjective US /fæt/

having an (over)abundance of flesh

From this reading “Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.”

lean verb US /liːn/

to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading “Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.”

russet noun US /ˈrʌsɪt/

a reddish brown homespun fabric

From this reading “Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.”

shalt modal verb US /ʃælt/

an old form of “shall”, used with “thou”

From this reading “Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.”

stuff noun US /stʌf/

the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

From this reading “Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.”

All words in this reading · 51

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 Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

ADVICEnounUS /ædˈvaɪs/

a proposal for an appropriate course of action

From this reading NJAL'S ADVICE.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

axenounUS /æks/

an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

cheapadjectiveUS /tʃiːp/

relatively low in price or charging low prices

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

cloaknounUS /kloʊk/

anything that covers or conceals

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

clothesnounUS /kloʊðz/

clothing in general

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

fatadjectiveUS /fæt/

having an (over)abundance of flesh

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

horsesnounUS /ˈhɔːrsəz/

plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

kirtlenoun

a garment resembling a tunic that was worn by men in the Middle Ages

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

leanverbUS /liːn/

to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

NJAL'S

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

From this reading NJAL'S ADVICE.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

rideverbUS /raɪd/

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

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

roughadjectiveUS /rʌf/

having or caused by an irregular surface

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

russetnounUS /ˈrʌsɪt/

a reddish brown homespun fabric

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

shaltmodal verbUS /ʃælt/

an old form of “shall”, used with “thou”

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

stuffnounUS /stʌf/

the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

suitverbUS /suːt/

be agreeable or acceptable to

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

ThoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

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

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Over all thou shalt have a great rough cloak, and under that, a russet kirtle of cheap stuff, and under all, thy good clothes.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "I have thought over the suit, and it will do so.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Thou shalt ride from home with two men at thy back.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Thou must take a small axe in thy hand, and each of you must have two horses, one fat, the other lean.

Chapter 23 of The story of Burnt Njal by George Webbe, Sir [Translator] Dasent holds 62 sentences, grouped into 13 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 23 of The story of Burnt Njal contain?

Chapter 23 holds 62 sentences of The story of Burnt Njal, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 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 62 sentences, grouped into 13 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 23 of The story of Burnt Njal?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 The story of Burnt Njal

Common questions about reading The story of Burnt Njal by George Webbe, Sir [Translator] Dasent on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The story of Burnt Njal?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The story of Burnt Njal is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The story of Burnt Njal take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The story of Burnt Njal section by section

How to work through The story of Burnt Njal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

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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.