Chapter 40 of The story of Burnt Njal is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of The story of Burnt Njal is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY. There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson. Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet. That was why Thord was with Njal afterwards. He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.
Chapter 40 of The story of Burnt Njal is here in full — 26 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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.
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading “Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.”
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.”
past form of “foster” — promote the growth of
From this reading “He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.”
a person who has been freed from slavery
From this reading “Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.”
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.”
unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being
From this reading “THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY.”
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.”
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
From this reading “THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY.”
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 There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading That was why Thord was with Njal afterwards.
(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 He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY.
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
past form of “foster” — promote the growth of
From this reading He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.
a person who has been freed from slavery
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That was why Thord was with Njal afterwards.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sigtrygg was his father's name, and he had been the freedman of Asgerd, and he was drowned in Markfleet.
unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being
From this reading THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading He was a tall man and a strong, and he had fostered all Njal's sons.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was why Thord was with Njal afterwards.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
From this reading THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a man named Thord, he was surnamed Freedmanson.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading That was why Thord was with Njal afterwards.
in the company of; together with
From this reading That was why Thord was with Njal afterwards.
Chapter 40 of The story of Burnt Njal by George Webbe, Sir [Translator] Dasent holds 26 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.
Chapter 40 holds 26 sentences of The story of Burnt Njal, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 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 26 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.
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.
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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Words and structures a reader meets early in The story of Burnt Njal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
