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The story of Burnt Njal
The story of Burnt Njal

Chapter LVI · Chapter 56

Chapter 56 of The story of Burnt Njal is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/5 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
NJAL'S ADVICE TO GUNNAR.
Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.
Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.
Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."
"How will it now go henceforth?" says Gunnar.
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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 LVI · Chapter 56

Chapter 56 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
NJAL'S ADVICE TO GUNNAR.
Line 2
Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.
/naʊ ðoʊz ˈtaɪdɪŋz ɑːr hɜːrd fɑːr ənd waɪd ənd ˈmeni seɪ ðæt ðeɪ θɔːt ðeɪ hæd nɑːt ˈhæpənd bɪˈfɔːr ɪt wɑːz ˈlaɪkli/
Line 3
Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.
Line 4
Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."
Line 5
"How will it now go henceforth?" says Gunnar.

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.

advice noun US /ædˈvaɪs/

a proposal for an appropriate course of action

From this reading “NJAL'S ADVICE TO GUNNAR.”

deeds noun US /diːdz/

performance of moral or religious acts

From this reading “Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.”

hast auxiliary verb US /hæst/

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

From this reading “Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."”

henceforth adverb US /ˈhenˈsfɔːrθ/

from this time forth; from now on

From this reading “"How will it now go henceforth?" says Gunnar.”

likely adjective US /ˈlaɪkli/

has a good chance of being the case or of coming about

From this reading “Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.”

rode verb US /roʊd/

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

From this reading “Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.”

sorely adverb US /ˈsɔːrli/

to a great degree

From this reading “Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."”

tidings noun US /ˈtaɪdɪŋz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading “Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.”

All words in this reading · 46

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.

ADVICEnounUS /ædˈvaɪs/

a proposal for an appropriate course of action

From this reading NJAL'S ADVICE TO GUNNAR.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

Bergthorsknoll

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

From this reading Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

deedsnounUS /diːdz/

performance of moral or religious acts

From this reading Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "How will it now go henceforth?" says Gunnar.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

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

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

GUNNAR

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

From this reading NJAL'S ADVICE TO GUNNAR.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

hastauxiliary verbUS /hæst/

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

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

henceforthadverbUS /ˈhenˈsfɔːrθ/

from this time forth; from now on

From this reading "How will it now go henceforth?" says Gunnar.

How

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

From this reading "How will it now go henceforth?" says Gunnar.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

likelyadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪkli/

has a good chance of being the case or of coming about

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

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 Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

Njal

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

From this reading Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.

NJAL'S

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

From this reading NJAL'S ADVICE TO GUNNAR.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.

rodeverbUS /roʊd/

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

From this reading Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

saysnounUS /sez/

plural of “say” — the chance to speak

From this reading "How will it now go henceforth?" says Gunnar.

sorelyadverbUS /ˈsɔːrli/

to a great degree

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

ThoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

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

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

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

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

tidingsnounUS /ˈtaɪdɪŋz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading NJAL'S ADVICE TO GUNNAR.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading Gunnar rode to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal of these deeds.

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading Njal said, "Thou hast done great things, but thou hast been sorely tried."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading Now those tidings are heard far and wide, and many say that they thought they had not happened before it was likely.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "How will it now go henceforth?" says Gunnar.

Chapter 56 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 56 of The story of Burnt Njal contain?

Chapter 56 holds 29 sentences of The story of Burnt Njal, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 56 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 56 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 56 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 56 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

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

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