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The Coming Wave
The Coming Wave

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of The Coming Wave is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Coming Wave
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE WALDO'S PASSENGER.
"Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.
_"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.
"So mooch golt!
Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Coming Wave

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of The Coming Wave is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE WALDO'S PASSENGER.
Line 2
"Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.
Line 3
_"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.
Line 4
"So mooch golt!
Line 5
Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!

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.

blitz noun US /blɪts/

(American football) defensive players try to break through the offensive line

boatman noun US /ˈboʊtmən/

someone who drives or rides in a boat

From this reading “_"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.”

chink noun US /tʃɪŋk/

(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent

From this reading “"Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.”

coin verb US /kɔɪn/

make up

From this reading “_"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.”

Herr noun US /her/

a German man; used before the name as a title equivalent to Mr in English

From this reading “"Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.”

mit noun US /ˈeˈmaɪˈtiː/

an engineering university in Cambridge

From this reading “Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!”

passenger noun US /ˈpæsəndʒər/

a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading “THE WALDO'S PASSENGER.”

Teutonic adjective US /tuːˈtɔːnɪk/

of or pertaining to the ancient Teutons or their languages

From this reading “_"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

bagnounUS /bæɡ/

a flexible container with a single opening

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

blitznounUS /blɪts/

(American football) defensive players try to break through the offensive line

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

boatmannounUS /ˈboʊtmən/

someone who drives or rides in a boat

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

chinknounUS /tʃɪŋk/

(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

coinverbUS /kɔɪn/

make up

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

containedadjectiveUS /kənˈteɪnd/

gotten under control

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

counternounUS /ˈkaʊntər/

table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

coveredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌvərd/

overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form

From this reading Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!

Der

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

From this reading Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!

Donner

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

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

excitedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsaɪtəd/

(of persons) excessively affected by emotion

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

familiaradjectiveUS /fəˈmɪljər/

well known or easily recognized

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

geldverb

cut off the testicles (of male animals such as horses)

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

goldnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

golt

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

From this reading "So mooch golt!

haben

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

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

HerrnounUS /her/

a German man; used before the name as a title equivalent to Mr in English

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

hier

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

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!

Leopold

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

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

mistakenounUS /mɪˈsteɪk/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

mitnounUS /ˈeˈmaɪˈtiː/

an engineering university in Cambridge

From this reading Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!

moneynounUS /ˈmʌni/

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

moochnoun

someone who mooches or cadges (tries to get something free)

From this reading "So mooch golt!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

PASSENGERnounUS /ˈpæsəndʒər/

a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading THE WALDO'S PASSENGER.

realizedadjectiveUS /ˈriːəlaɪzd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

saltnounUS /sɔːlt/

a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)

From this reading Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!

sandnounUS /sænd/

a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral

From this reading Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!

sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/

of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

Schlager

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

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

sie

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

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "So mooch golt!

soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

specienoun

coins collectively

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

TeutonicadjectiveUS /tuːˈtɔːnɪk/

of or pertaining to the ancient Teutons or their languages

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE WALDO'S PASSENGER.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

unclenounUS /ˈʌŋkəl/

the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading _"Was haben sie, hier, Leopold?"_ "Money, gold, specie, coin, _geld_," replied the boatman, hardly less excited than his Teutonic uncle.

und

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

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

WALDO'S

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

From this reading THE WALDO'S PASSENGER.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading Der bag is wet mit der sand, and covered mit salt water!

wetadjectiveUS /wet/

covered or soaked with a liquid such as water

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Donner _und blitz_!" exclaimed Herr Schlager, when he realized that the wet and sandy bag on the counter before him contained money, for he was too familiar with the chink of gold to mistake the sound.

Chapter 15 of The Coming Wave by Oliver Optic holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 15 of The Coming Wave contain?

Chapter 15 holds 196 sentences of The Coming Wave, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of The Coming Wave by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 15 of The Coming Wave?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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 Coming Wave

Common questions about reading The Coming Wave by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Coming Wave?

Yes. All 3518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23773 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Coming Wave is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #23773, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Coming Wave take to read?

About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Coming Wave section by section

How to work through The Coming Wave 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 Coming Wave

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Coming Wave, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Yacht
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Coming Wave; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Series
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Coming Wave; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Coming Wave; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Coming Wave; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.