Chapter 15 of Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom. "Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply. "It's a possibility, isn't it?" "Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper. "But what if it is?
Chapter 15 of Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
lacking funds
From this reading “"Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper.”
a glass filled to the brim (especially as a toast)
From this reading “"Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper.”
plural of “coil” — a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading “IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.”
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading “IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.”
a future prospect or potential
From this reading “"It's a possibility, isn't it?"”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “"Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper.”
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “"Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.”
male cat
From this reading “IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.”
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 "It's a possibility, isn't it?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
lacking funds
From this reading "Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper.
a glass filled to the brim (especially as a toast)
From this reading "Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But what if it is?
plural of “coil” — a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading "Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
the act of departing
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "But what if it is?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a possibility, isn't it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It's a possibility, isn't it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a possibility, isn't it?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
a future prospect or potential
From this reading "It's a possibility, isn't it?"
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading "Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
male cat
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
(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, I don't know," was the slowly given reply.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "But what if it is?
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, it is," broke in Professor Bumper.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading IN THE COILS "Ned, do you really think Tolpec is going to desert us?" asked Tom.
Chapter 15 of Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders by Victor Appleton holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 15 holds 120 sentences of Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders by Victor Appleton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 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.
Common questions about reading Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders by Victor Appleton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2964 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #499 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #499, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 593 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Tom Swift in the Land of Wonders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
