Chapter 2 of By Proxy is here in full — 574 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of By Proxy is here in full — 574 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Fermi?" Winstein asked puzzledly. "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?" "Right. He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
Chapter 2 of By Proxy is here in full — 574 sentences across 115 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/114 · 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.
of or relating to or comprising atoms
From this reading “He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.”
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading “He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.”
a youthful male person
From this reading “He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.”
a metric unit of length equal to one quadrillionth of a meter
From this reading “"Fermi?"”
(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns
From this reading “He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.”
the time of life between 40 and 50
From this reading “"Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"”
a scientist trained in physics
From this reading “"Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"”
concerned with actual use or practice
From this reading “He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.”
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 "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Winstein asked puzzledly.
of or relating to or comprising atoms
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
a youthful male person
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
a metric unit of length equal to one quadrillionth of a meter
From this reading "Fermi?"
(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
the time of life between 40 and 50
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
engage in
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
a scientist trained in physics
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
concerned with actual use or practice
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Winstein asked puzzledly.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Right.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Wasn't he a physicist or something, back in the Forties?"
which person or people
From this reading He's the boy who figured out how to make the atomic bomb practical.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Winstein asked puzzledly.
Chapter 2 of By Proxy by Randall Garrett holds 574 sentences, grouped into 115 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 2 holds 574 sentences of By Proxy, unabridged, divided into 115 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of By Proxy by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 574 sentences, grouped into 115 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 115 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 115 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 2 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 By Proxy by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1157 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24707 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24707, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 96 minutes of reading across 232 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through By Proxy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of By Proxy 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 By Proxy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
