English Lessons with
Sherlock Holmes
A course for Upper-Intermediate Students by David Nicholls
A new approach to learning English, this is a series of lessons based on the episodes of the hit
UK TV show ‘Sherlock Holmes’, with Jeremy Brett playing the title role. Lessons include
grammar explanations, exercises, vocabulary tasks and discussion questions. They are ideal for
self-study and classroom use. The focus in this course is on reporting verbs and interesting
vocabulary.
Sherlock Holmes
The Copper Beeches
Video Link
Main Characters
Miss Hunter (governess)
Miss Stoper
Mr Rucastle
Mrs Rucastle
Mr Toller (servant)
Mrs Toller (house keeper)
Alice
Mr Fowler
Comprehension
1) How does Holmes criticise the record of his cases which Watson has been writing?
2) How much salary did Miss Hunter receive from Colonel Munro? How much does Mr
Rucastle offer her?
3) What position is she offered at The Copper Beeches?
4) What strange conditions are involved in the contract?
5) Why does Miss Hunter firstly refuse the position?
6) How does Mr Rucastle persuade her?
7) What kind of dress would Mrs Rucastle like her to wear?
8) What does Miss Hunter find in a drawer?
9) How many explanations can Holmes think of for these strange incidents?
10) Why is crime more widespread in the country (compared to the city) according to Sherlock?
11) What does Mr Rucastle do while Miss Hunter is sitting at the window?
12) How does Miss Hunter satisfy her desire to see what’s going on behind her back?
13) What does she see? What is Mrs Rucastle’s reaction?
14) What does Miss Hunter find at the top of the turret?
15) How does Miss Hunter trick Mrs Toller and lock her in the cellar?
16) Who is Alice?
17) Why did Mr Rucastle move Alice into the turret?
18) What was the real reason for employing Miss Hunter?
19) How did Mrs Toller help Mr Fowler?
Vocabulary
Match the expressions with their equivalents, and then use them in the sentences in the correct
form.
In the first place
In an offhand manner
Without care or forethought
To find by chance
In a nutshell
To come upon/across
To hang about
To take no notice of
To make up your mind
To fix your eyes upon s.o
To decide
To sum up
Firstly
To hang around
To stare at s.o
To pay no attention to
1) Mr Rucastle asked Miss Hunter to ____ ____ ____ ____ his strange requests.
2) ____ ____ ____ Miss Hunter was offered a generous salary of 100 pounds a year.
3) While Miss Hunter was sitting at the window a strange man in the garden ____ ____ ____
____ her.
4) ____ ____ ____ Mr Rucastle wanted Miss Hunter to impersonate his daughter.
5) When Miss Hunter looked in the drawer, she ____ ____ a pony tail which was exactly the
same colour as her own.
Match the adjectives with their equivalents
Insistent
Apprehensive
Extraordinary, singular, uncommon
Assertive and forceful
Exceptional
Curious
Sinister
Delighted
Comical
Impertinent
Intolerable
Essential
Vile
Generous
Uneasy and fearful
Malevolent and ominous
Intriguing
Dreadful
Overjoyed
Funny
Rude
Unbearable
Giving, plentiful
Vital
1) Miss Hunter felt extremely ____ about accepting the ____ offer of Mr Rucastle.
2) Mr Rucastle was ____ that cutting her hair was an ____ condition of the contract.
3) Miss Hunter was feeling very ____ and so she decided to explore the tower.
4) Mr Rucastle told Miss Hunter some very ____ stories while she was sitting by the window.
5) Holmes thought that Miss Hunter was an ____ woman, perhaps because he was impressed
with her intelligence.
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Reporting Verbs
Use the following verbs to report what was said. Remember to use the correct forms. Here are a
few examples of the different types
1) Want to do (+ to + infinitive) promise, threaten, offer
2) Tell s.o to do (object + to + infinitive) ask, warn, advise, order, persuade
3) Congratulate s.o on doing (object + preposition + gerund) accuse s.o (of), thank s.o (for),
praise s.o (for)
4) Avoid doing (+ gerund) deny, admit, regret, suggest, recommend
5) Insist on doing (+ preposition + gerund) apologise for,
6) Say that (+ that + clause) promise, insist, suggest, deny, admit, regret
7) Tell s.o that assure, persuade, convince, warn, (NOT ask)
1) ‘No, I’m afraid I cannot cut my hair’
Miss Hunter refused…
2) ‘We can offer you 120 pound, but you really must cut your hair’
Mr Rucastle insisted…
3) ‘Miss Hunter, if you refuse such an excellent offer then we can’t be expected to find you
another one’
Miss Stoper warned…..
4) ‘I was so consumed by the desire to see’
Miss Hunter admitted…
5) ‘If you ever set foot over that threshold again, I’ll throw you to the mastiff’
Mr Rucastle threatened…..
6) ‘Miss Hunter, you are indeed an exceptional woman’
Holmes praised….
7) ‘Data, data, data – I can’t make bricks without clay’
Holmes complained…..
8) ‘Perhaps he went down to look for cockroaches’
Miss Hunter suggested…..
9) ‘It’s a pity you didn’t let me know what you were planning.’
Mrs Toller regretted….
10) ‘I took no part in this – I was Miss Alice’s friend.’
Mrs Toller denied…
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Answers
Comprehension
1) He accuses Watson of using too much colour and life and not enough logic and reasoning.
2) Four pounds a month with her former employer. Mr Rucastle offers 100 pounds a year.
3) Governess of a 6 year old boy.
4) She will have to wear a certain dress, sit in a certain place and cut her hair short if she wants
the position.
5) Because he promised his wife.
6) She doesn’t want to cut her hair.
7) He offers her 120 pounds a year.
8) An electric blue dress.
9) She finds a pony tail which is exactly the same colour as her own hair.
10) The city is crowded and so most crimes are noticed by neighbours. Crimes in the country go
unnoticed thanks to the lonely and anonymous surroundings.
11) He tells her amusing stories.
12) She uses a mirror hidden under her handkerchief.
13) She sees a bearded man. Mrs Rucastle alerts her husband to the fact that there is an
impertinent man in the garden.
14) A locked door with someone inside.
15) She tells her that Edward has locked himself in the cellar
16) Mr Rucastle’s daughter from their first marriage.
17) To stop Mr Fowler from meeting her. Alice has the right to an inheritance if she marries and
Mr Fowler is her sweetheart.
18) To impersonate a happy Alice and get rid of Mr Fowler.
19) She unlocked the gate, chained up the mastiff and left a ladder by the turret.
Vocabulary
In the first place = Firstly
In an offhand manner = Without care or forethought
In a nutshell = To sum up
To come upon/across = to find by chance
To hang about = To hang around
To take no notice of = To pay no attention to
To make up your mind = To decide
To fix your eyes upon s.o = To stare at s.o
1) pay no attention to / take no notice of
2) in the first place
3) fixed his eyes upon her/stared at her
4) in a nutshell
5) came across
Insistent = Assertive and forceful
Apprehensive = uneasy and fearful
Exceptional = Extraordinary, singular, uncommon
Curious = intriguing
Sinister = Malevolent and ominous
Delighted = Overjoyed
Comical = funny
Impertinent = rude
Intolerable = Unbearable
Essential = vital
Vile = dreadful
Generous = Giving, plentiful
1) apprehensive, generous
2) insistent, essential
3) curious
4) comical
5) exceptional
Reporting Verbs
1) Miss Hunter refused to cut her hair
2) Mr Rucastle insisted that she cut her hair
3) Miss Stoper warned Miss Hunter that if she refused such a generous offer, they couldnt be
expected to find another
4) Miss Hunter admitted that she was consumed by the desire to see. OR Miss Hunter admitted
being consumed by the desire to see
5) Mr Rucastle threatened to throw her to the mastiff if she set foot over the threshold again.
6) Holmes praised Miss Hunter for being an exceptional woman
7) Holmes complained that he couldnt make bricks without clay.
8) Miss Hunter suggested going down to look for cockroaches. OR suggested that she went
down to look for cockroaches
9) Mrs Toller regretted that they didnt let her know what their plan was.
10) Mrs Toller denied taking part. OR She denied that she had taken part.
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Sherlock Holmes
The Blue Carbuncle
Video Link
Main Characters
Inspector Bradstreet
Commissioner Peterson
Jon Horner (plumber)
James Ryder (Butler)
Henry Baker (British Museum steward)
The Countess
Comprehension:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
Who is first arrested for the theft?
How did Peterson come by the goose?
How much does the countess offer in reward for the Blue Carbuncle?
What deductions does Sherlock make from his examination of the hat?
What are the reasons for each deduction?
How does Sherlock find out that Henry Baker is ignorant of what the goose had inside?
Where does Henry Baker buy the goose, and where does he get the money?
Why does the goose salesman refuse to tell Sherlock where he bought the goose from?
How does Sherlock trick the goose salesman into telling him where he had bought the
goose from?
How does Holmes persuade James Ryder to go with them?
How does the stone get into the goose?
Why does Holmes let Ryder go?
What justification does he give to Watson?
Vocabulary
Match the adjectives with their equivalents, and then use them in the sentences
Peculiar
Obstinate
Stubborn
Modest
Humble
Respectable
Sinister
Timid
Ingenious
Whimsical
Satisfied
Awkward
Strange
Uncomfortable
Very clever
Content
Capricious
Reputable
Corrupt and harmful
Shy
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1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Mr Henry Baker was a ____ and ____ man, who worked in the British Museum.
Holmes was ____ that the goose was country bred.
It was extremely ____ that Peterson found the diamond in his goose.
Holmes is never ____ until he finds the solution to the riddle.
Jewels always have a ____ history due to the fact that they are the focus of crime.
Match the phrasal verbs with their equivalents, and then use them in the sentences
Come by/across s.t
Turn s.t into s.t
Make s.o do s.t
Find s.t by accident
Be after s.t
Sold out (of s.t)
Make off
Carry on
Think s.t over
Put s.o up to s.t
Get away with s.t
Make for s.w
Change s.t from one thing to another
Escape / Run away
Escape unpunished for s.t
Ruminate on s.t
Continue
Run out of s.t
Run to s.w
Look for s.t
1) Peterson ____ ____ the goose one evening, when he saw a scuffle.
2) After stealing the diamond Peterson went out, ____ ____ his sister’s house in order to
____ things ____
3) When Holmes and Watson got to the market the salesman had already ____ ____of
geese.
4) James Ryder ____ ____ the blue carbuncle and that’s why he was in the market asking
for geese.
5) James Ryder said that the maid had ____ him ____ ____ it. He was a coward and didn’t
want to take responsibility for his actions.
6) Sherlock Holmes let James off because he didn’t want to ____ James Ryder ____ a
criminal for the rest of his life.
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Match the expressions with their equivalents, and then use them in the sentences (in the correct
forms)
In charge of
Make a fuss
complain
Twenty four
Make enquiries
A couple of dozen
Clear off!
On the contrary…
I make a living in…
Be in the good books with
Have mercy!
Long to……
Pity me!
Responsible for
Ask questions
Get out!
Be on good terms with
Really want to…
I work in….
In reverse…
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Ah, Mr Holmes – you are the person I have ____ ____ meet.
I ____ ____ ____ in the British Museum.
If you want to be ____ ____ ____ ____with the wife, I suggest that you buy this goose.
I’d like a ____ ____ ____ geese for the Christmas club.
I didn’t want to ____ ____ ____ so I didn’t go to the police.
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Use the following verbs to report what was said. Remember to use the correct forms. Here are a
few examples of the different types
1) Want to do (+ to + infinitive) promise, threaten, offer
2) Tell s.o to do (object + to + infinitive) ask, warn, advise, order, persuade
3) Congratulate s.o on doing (object + preposition + gerund) accuse s.o (of), thank s.o (for)
4) Avoid doing (+ gerund) deny, admit, regret, suggest, recommend
5) Insist on doing (+ preposition + gerund) apologise for,
6) Say that (+ that + clause) promise, insist, suggest, deny, admit
1) ‘I didn’t do it, I swear!’
Jon Horner denied
2) ‘Why don’t you go and see Sherlock?’
Mr Peterson’s wife suggested
3) ‘Why should I offer a reward?’
The countess refused
4) ‘We should find Henry Baker’
Watson recommended
5) ‘I owe you 8 pounds and a penny’
Henry Baker admitted
6) ‘If it’s a bird you’re after, I’d get to him as soon as possible’
The barman advised
7) ‘Will you have a glass of beer with us?’
Holmes offered
8) ‘I made a bet with Watson that the bird is country bred.
Holmes insisted
9) ‘If you come here asking for geese again, I’ll set the dog on you!
The salesman threatened
10) ‘I know a lot about the goose and can assist you if you come with me.’
Holmes persuaded
11) ‘I have almost every link in the chain – you need tell me very little, Mr Ryder.
Holmes warned
12) ‘I’ll never do anything like this again, I swear!
James Ryder promised
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Answers
Comprehension
1) Jon Horner, the plumber
2) He saw a group of men assaulting the owner of the goose. When he ran over in his uniform
they all ran away and left the goose behind.
3) 1000 pounds
4)
The owner is an intellectual man. The size of the hat means the man has a large brain.
The owner was wealthy 3 years ago but has now fallen upon rough times. - The hat is 3 years old
and of the best quality. If he hasn't bought a new hat for 3 years, it means he doesn't have so
much cash available.
The owner’s wife no longer loves him - The hat hasn't been looked after properly.
The owner doesn't have gas in his house - There are candle wax stains on the hat
5) He offers to give him back the remains (leftovers) of the goose as well as the new goose
which he had bought for him. Henry Baker declined the offer, so he cant have known what was
in the bird.
6) He buys the goose from the Alpha Inn and he collects the money by selling his books.
7) Because someone else has been bothering him with questions about his geese supplier and so
he is suspicious.
8) He lies and says that he has made a bet with Watson that the goose was bred in the country.
The salesman can’t resist and tells him that he has lost the bet because the goose was bred in the
town.
9) He tells him that he can help him find his goose.
10) Ryder forced it down the goose's throat when he wanted to hide the stone.
11) Ryder begs him for mercy and Holmes acquiesces.
12) Prison will turn him into a worse criminal.
Adjectives
Peculiar = Strange
Obstinate = stubborn
Humble = modest
Respectable = Reputable
Sinister = Corrupt and harmful
Timid = shy
Ingenious = Very clever
Whimsical = Capricious
Satisfied = Content
Awkward = Uncomfortable
1) humble and respectable
2) obstinate
3) peculiar
4) satisfied
5) sinister
Phrasal verbs
Come by/across s.t = Find s.t by accident
Turn s.t into s.t = Change s.t from one thing to another
Be after s.t = Look for s.t
Sold out (of s.t) = Run out of s.t
Make off = Escape / Run away
Carry on = Continue
Think s.t over = Ruminate on s.t
Put s.o up to s.t = Make s.o do s.t
Get away with s.t = Escape unpunished for s.t
Make for s.w = Run to s.w
1) came by
2) made for. think things over
3) sold out
4) was after
5) put him up to it
6) turn James Ryder into
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Expressions
In charge of = Responsible for
Make a fuss = Complain
Make enquiries = Ask questions
A couple of dozen = 24 (dozen = 12)
Clear off! = Get out!
On the contrary = In reverse
I make a living in = I work in
Be in the good books with = Be on good terms with
Have mercy! = Pity me!
Long to = Really want to
1) longed to
2) make a living in
3) be in the good books with
4) couple of dozen
5) make a fuss
Reporting verbs
1) denied doing it
2) suggested going to see Sherlock
3) refused to offer a reward
4) recommended finding
5) admitted owing him 8 pounds
6) advised him to get a bird
7) offered him a glass of beer
8) insisted that the bird was country bred
9) threatened to set the dog on them
10) persuaded him to go with them
11) warned him that he had almost every link
12) promised never to do anything like that again.
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Sherlock Holmes
The Dancing Men
Video Link
Main Characters
Mr Cubitt
Mr Cubitt’s wife, ‘Elsie’
Mr Cubitt’s servant
Comprehension:
1) How does Sherlock know that Watson isn’t going to invest in South African gold?
2) Why is Sherlock so cheerful?
3) Why does Mr Cubitt attach so much importance to the childish drawing of peculiar dancing
men?
4) What did Elsie make her husband promise on their wedding day?
5) When did the first cloud appear in Mr Cubitt’s marriage? What happened?
6) Why does Mr Cubitt refuse to make a direct appeal to his wife for the truth?
7) Whose murder do Watson and Holmes discover when they go to visit Mr Cubitt?
8) What does Holmes ask of the inspector at the scene of the crime?
9) What does Holmes find at the scene of the crime, and what deductions does he make from
this?
10) How does Holmes know that the window must have been open?
11) Who shot Elsie Cubitt, according to Sherlock?
12) How did Sherlock crack the code of the dancing men?
13) How does Sherlock catch the criminal?
Crack the code!!!
Match the expressions with their equivalents, and then use them in the sentences in the correct
form.
A series of inferences
Keep a sharp look out
Come to a conclusion
A chain of deductions
Investigate a case
Come to the point
Take my word for it
To have faith in s.o
To get to the bottom of s.t
To get a move on
Be very attentive
To trust s.o
To investigate and understand completely
Believe me
To hurry
To look into something
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1) Holmes told Mr Cubitt to ____ ____ after he had been given the second message.
2) Mr Cubitt must have ____ ____ his wife because he never doubted her integrity.
3) When Holmes finally cracked the code he became sure that they would ____ ____ ____
____ ____ this crime.
4) ____ ____ ____ ____ leads Holmes to conclude that Watson isn’t interested in investing
in South African gold.
5) Elsie asked her husband to trust her and ____ ____ that her past involved no shame
though must remain a secret.
Match the phrasal verbs with their equivalents, and then use them in the sentences in the correct
forms.
Look s.t up
Put s.o up
Accommodate s.o
Learn some new information
Settle down s.w
Be over
Look back on s.t
Put s.t off
Wash s.t off
Give s.t away
Find s.t out
Run away
Find s.t in a book/website
Reveal s.t that should be secret
Start to live permanently
Finish
Escape
Recall s.t
Delay s.t
Remove s.t with water
1) ‘Ok, I want you to wait until I copy this chalk message, then you must ____ it ____ and I
will have an urgent letter to send to London.
2) When Mr Cubitt ____ ____ ____ his wedding day, he thought his wife’s request was a
very odd one.
3) Elsie decided to ____ ____ in Derbyshire after getting married.
4) I’m afraid I must ____ ____ the next lesson till the following Saturday.
5) If you don’t know a word, you should ____ it ____ in the dictionary.
6) My brother is visiting at the moment – he lives in Australia. I have offered to ____ him
____ for a few weeks.
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Match the expressions with their equivalents, and then use them in the sentences (in the correct
forms)
cheerful
anxious
reputable
not awake, nor aware
respectable
worthy
trivial
odd
ravenous
urgent
unconscious
devoted
ajar
honourable
attached and loving
in a good mood
unimportant
requiring immediate attention
worried
slightly open
starving
strange
1) Watson couldn’t believe that Mrs Cubitt has murdered her husband because they were a
____ couple.
2) The window must have been ____ because a draft had been blowing through the house.
3)
4)
5)
6)
Mrs Cubitt lay ____ after shooting herself.
Mr Cubitt was extremely ____ thanks to these odd messages and had trouble sleeping.
Mrs Cubitt tried to persuade her husband that the messages were ____ and childish scrawls.
The fact that Mr Cubitt kept his promise to his wife shows that he was a ____ and ____
man.
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Use the following verbs to report what was said. Remember to use the correct forms. Here are a
few examples of the different types
1) Want to do (+ to + infinitive) promise, threaten, offer
2) Tell s.o to do (object + to + infinitive) ask, warn, advise, order, persuade
3) Congratulate s.o on doing (object + preposition + gerund) accuse s.o (of), thank s.o (for),
praise s.o (for)
4) Avoid doing (+ gerund) deny, admit, regret, suggest, recommend
5) Insist on doing (+ preposition + gerund) apologise for,
6) Say that (+ that + clause) promise, insist, suggest, deny, admit, regret
7) Tell s.o that assure, persuade, convince, warn, (NOT ask)
1) ‘Now it all seems so absurdly simple’
Watson admitted…
2) ‘Holmes isn’t suggesting that, Mr Cubitt’
Watson assured….
3) ‘You must promise never to ask about my life before we met.’
Elsie persuaded…..
4) ‘And you have a way of prevaricating with your answers, Mr Cubitt’
Sherlock accused…
5) ‘Don’t you think, that making a direct appeal to your wife to share her secret would be
your best plan?’
Sherlock suggested…..
6) ‘I haven’t seen any strangers in the area’
Mr Cubitt denied….
7) ‘Wash it off, tell no-one about it, and then come to me.’ (to servant)
Mr Cubitt ordered…..
8) ‘Why don’t we travel, Hilton. Why don’t we going away?’
Elsie Cubitt recommended…..
9) ‘It’s a pity you didn’t get a closer look at this chap.’
Dr Watson regretted….
10) ‘She knew who was out there, and she knew what these figures mean.’
Mr Cubitt accused…
11) ‘This grouse is superb! Mrs Hudson has really surpassed herself.
Watson praised…
12) ‘Elsie – prepare to meet thy god’
The last message warned….
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Answers
Comprehension
1) He can see chalk between Watson's forefinger and thumb. This leads him to conclude he was
playing billiards, and with his billiards partner, Thurston. Watson told Sherlock a month ago that
Thurston was interested in a joint investment in South African gold. Watson hasn't asked for the
key to the drawer which has his cheque book, and so Sherlock deduces that he isn't interested in
this investment.
2) Because he has a case.
3) Because it frightened his wife to death (not literally!)
4) He promised never to ask about her life before they met.
5) A few months ago Elsie received a letter from Chicago and burned it unopened. Then these
childish drawings started appearing around the house.
6) Because he promised his wife.
7) Mr Cubitt has been murdered, and his wife has been severely wounded.
8) He asks for nothing to be moved, and to be allowed to interview the servants.
9) He found a 3rd bullet in the window frame. Which means that a third shot must have been
fired and a third person must have been present.
10) Because the servants said they could smell gunpowde3r upstairs, and so there must have
been a draft blowing through the house. And so the window must have been open as well as the
door.
11) She shot herself in despair.
12) He depended on the fact that E is the most common letter of the English language. So he
looked for the most common symbol, and then worked from there. He also found 'ELSIE' in the
second message.
13) He writes a message to the man staying at Elriges farm (he knows this place from the code)
asking him to 'Come here at once'. He is sure the man will think the message is from Elsie
because he uses the dancing men code.
CODE CRACKING
AM HERE ABE SLANEY
AT ELRIGES
NEVER
ELSIE PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD
Vocabulary
A series of inferences = A chain of deductions
Keep a sharp look out = Be very attentive
Investigate a case = To look into something
Come to the point = Come to a conclusion
Take my word for it = To investigate and understand completely
To have faith in s.o = To trust s.o
To get to the bottom of s.t = To investigate and understand completely
To get a move on = To hurry
1) keep a sharp look out
2) had faith in
3) get to the bottom of
4) A series of inferences
5) take her word for it
Phrasal Verbs
Look s.t up = Find s.t in a book/website
Put s.o up = Accommodate s.o
Settle down s.w = Start to live permanently
Be over = Finish
Look back on s.t = Recall s.t
Put s.t off = Delay s.t
Wash s.t off = Remove s.t with water
Give s.t away = Reveal s.t that should be secret
Find s.t out = Learn some new information
Run away = Escape
1) wash it off
2) looked back on
3) settle down
4) put off
5) look it up
6) put him up
Adjectives
cheerful = in a good mood
anxious = worried
respectable = reputable
worthy = honourable
trivial = unimportant
odd =strange
ravenous = starving
urgent = requiring immediate attention
unconscious = not awake, nor aware
devoted = attached and loving
ajar = slightly open
1) devoted
2) ajar
3) unconscious
4) anxious
5) trivial
6) respectable and worthy
Reporting Verbs
1) Watson admitted that it all seemed so absurdly simple
2) Watson assured Mr Cubitt that Holmes wasn't suggesting
3) Elsie persuaded her husband never to talk about her past
4) Sherlock accused Mr Cubitt of prevaricating with his answers
5) Sherlock suggested making a direct appeal to his wife (also - suggested that he made)
6) Mr Cubitt denied seeing any strangers
7) Mr Cubitt ordered the servant to wash it off.
8) Elsie recommended travelling to the Hilton
9) Watson regretted not getting a closer look
10) Mr Cubitt accused his wife of knowing who was there
11) Watson praised Mrs Hudson for cooking some excellent grouse
12) The last message warned Elsie to prepare
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Sherlock Holmes
The Golden Pince Nez
Video Link
Characters
Inspector Hopkins
Mycroft Holmes
Professor Corum (an old chain-smoking academic)
Mr Willoughby Smith (The professor’s secretary and Abbygale’s lover)
Mrs Marker (Housekeeper)
Susan Tarlton (maid and feminist)
Abbygale Crosby (leader of feminist movement)
Anna and Alexy
Comprehension:
1) Why did inspector Hopkins come to see Holmes?
2) Who were Willoughby Smith’s enemies?
3) What were his vices?
4) Who found the body?
5) What were the last words of Mr Willoughby Smith?
6) How did the killer get in and escape?
7) Where did Hopkins find tracks?
8) What was found in the victim’s right hand?
9) What deductions did Holmes make concerning this piece of evidence?
10) What explanation for the tragedy did the professor give?
11) What kind of political meeting did Mycroft and Hopkins visit?
12) Why was Abbygale Crosby arrested?
13) Why did the murderer come to the professor’s house, according to Sherlock?
14) Who was the murderer and where was she hiding?
15) Where must Holmes take the letters and why?
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Grammar
PAST MODALS
must have 3rd
might/could have 3rd
can’t have 3rd FOR DEDUCTION
should(n’t) have 3rd
FOR CRITICISM
Dr Watson admitted that he shouldn’t have gone to Fermani’s. If he hadn’t gone to see him, this
might have saved his life.
DEDUCE!
Use must/might/cant + have + 3rd
1) How did the killer get in?
He ____ ____ ____ in through the back door and escaped the same way.
He ____ ____ ____ the other exits. One was blocked by Susan and the other by the professor’s
bedroom.
He ____ ____ ____ through the window – it was locked.
2) No-one had been in the garden that morning. The tracks on the grass ____ ____ ____ ____
by the murderer
3) The scream was so strange and unnatural. It ____ ____ ____ from a man or a woman.
4) There was no money missing so it ____ ____ ____ a robbery.
5) The fatal injury was on the back of the neck so Willoughby Smith ____ ____ ____ himself.
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CRITICISE!
The professor betrayed Anna. (She shouldn’t have….)
Sherlock understood the murderer might still be in the room when he saw that the professor had
ordered extra food.
Hopkins failed to notice the scratches around the keyhole of the professors drawer.
Use the following verbs to report what was said. Remember to use the correct forms. Here are a
few examples of the different types
1) Want to do (+ to + infinitive) promise, threaten, offer
2) Tell s.o to do (object + to + infinitive) ask, warn, advise
3) Congratulate s.o on doing (object + preposition + gerund) accuse s.o (of)
4) Avoid doing (+ gerund) deny, admit, regret, suggest, recommend
5) Insist on doing (+ preposition + gerund) apologise for
6) Say that (+ that + clause) promise, insist, suggest, deny, admit
1) ‘Could the murderer have escaped through the window?’
Mycroft suggested
2) ‘Please sit down.’ ‘No thank-you. I prefer to stand’
Miss Marker refused
3) ‘Thanks Miss Tarlton. You have been a good witness’
Holmes thanked
4) ‘I have to go back to town so I’ll take you there myself’
Hopkins offered
5) ‘Remember what father said: Eliminate the impossible and whatever remains, however
improbable, must be the truth.’
Mycroft reminded
6) ‘I’m overlooking something that is staring me in the face’
Holmes admitted
7) ‘I’m sorry, sir. There are no trains to London’
Hopkins apologised
8) ‘I think we should postpone our trip to London’
Mycroft recommended
9) ‘I don’t know nothing about nothing, sir. Honest!’ (correct the mistake!)
Susan Tarlton denied
Answers
Comprehension
1) Because Mr Willoughby Smith had been murdered.
2) He had none
3) He had none
4) Susan Tarlton, the maid.
5) 'The professor - it was she'
6) The killer got in through the back door. At the end, we find out the killer never left, but hid in
the professor's cupboard
7) In the garden
8) A pair of golden pince nez glasses
9) The murderer is female;
She is from a good family;
She dresses elegantly;
Her nose has a wide bridge;
Her eyes are positioned very close together;
She has bad eyes and regularly goes to the opticians
She has refined manners
10) suicide
11) feminist meeting
12) Because she was the lover of Willoughby Smith, and they had an argument before his
murder. So she is a suspect (N:B this isnt in the book, just the TV show)
13) In order to steal something from the drawer
14) Anna, wife of the professor - hiding in the cupboard
15) To the Russian embassy - in order to free Anna's friend, Alexey, who is in prison in Siberia.
The letter will exonerate him.
Grammar
Past Modals
1)
must have come
cant have used
cant have come
2) must have been made
3) might have been
4) cant have been
5) cant have killed
SHOULD HAVE
1) She shouldnt have trusted him
2) The professor shouldn't have ordered food for two people
3) Hopkins should have been more attentive
Reporting Verbs
1) Mycroft suggested that the murderer may have escaped through the window
2) Miss Marker refused to sit down.
3) Holmes thanked Miss Tarlton for being a good witness
4) Hopkins offered to go back to town
5) Mycroft reminded Holmes what their father had said
6) Holmes admitted overlooking something (or admitted that he had overlooked something)
7) Hopkins apologised for there being no trains to London
8) Mycroft recommended postponing their trip
9) Susan Tarlton denied knowing anything
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