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S T A G E 1

An old family document says that everyone who lives at Baskerville Hallis in danger from a terrifying animal which lives on Dartmoor. When Sir Charles Baskerville dies in a mysterious way, his nephew, the young Sir Henry Baskerville, comes to live on Dartmoor. Is he in danger too? Is there really a dangerous animal on the moor, or did someone murder Sir Charles? Sherlock Holmes, the world-famous detective, is the only person who can solve the case. Or can he? Even Holmes is worried.

In this reader you will fi nd:- information about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s life- a section focusing on background and context- a glossary of diffi cult words- comprehension activities- an exit test

TagMystery

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles

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YOUNG ADULT ELI READERS

The Hound of the Baskervilles

ISBN 978-88-536-0516-0

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLETHE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

Y O U N G A D U L T R E A D E R S

Eli Readers is a beautifully-illustrated series of timeless classics and specially-written stories for learners of English.

S T A G E 1

S T A G E 2

S T A G E 3

S T A G E 4

S T A G E 5

S T A G E 6

Classic

Elementary

Pre-Intermediate

Intermediate

Upper Intermediate

Advanced

Profi ciency

600 headwords

800 headwords

1000 headwords

1800 headwords

2500 headwords

Unabridged Texts

A1

A2

B1

B2

C1

C2

KET

PET

FCE

CAE

CPE

– Can Sherlock Holmes

solve the mystery? –

MAIN CHARACTERS

12

‘No. I have an interesting problem and I need your help. I’ve got a document in my pocket.’

‘I saw it when you came in,’ said Holmes, ‘It’s an old one. Probably about 1730.’

‘But how do you know that?’‘You love your work and I love mine. All good detectives can look

at a document and give it a date. Am I right, to ten or fi fteen years?’ ‘Yes, the date on the document is 1742. It’s a Baskerville family

document. My friend and patient, Charles Baskerville, gave it to me before he died. He wanted me to look after it. This document was very important to him. He was very superstitious*. It’s about the curse* of the Baskerville family. Can I read it to you?’

Holmes sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He looked bored. Dr Mortimer began.

‘Baskerville Hall, 1742. To all Baskervilles. Read this story carefully. Do what it says.‘This happened in 1647, when Hugo Baskerville lived at Baskerville Hall. He was a very bad man. One day, he kidnapped* a young girl from her home. He took her to a room upstairs, but she escaped*. She ran out of the house and ran and ran across the moor*. Hugo was very angry. He followed her with his dogs. His friends followed too, but Hugo was very fast. When Hugo’s friends found the girl, she was dead. They saw Hugo’s dogs and they saw Hugo’s body. He was dead too. His friends also saw a large black animal in the distance. It was the killer. It was a dog, but it wasn’t an ordinary dog. It was a strange and terrible hound*.

superstitious superstitious people think some things

are lucky and some things are unlucky

curse bad luck

to kidnap to make someone a prisoner

to escape to get away from something or somewhere

moor a typical type of British countryside. There aren’t many trees on a moor.

hound a dog

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AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES

1 Choose the best answer A, B or C.

1 What does Holmes tell Sir Henry to do?

A go to Merripit House for dinner ■■ B go to London ■■ C marry Miss Stapleton ■■

2 Who does the fi rst telegram come from?

A Laura Lyons ■■ B Inspector Lestrade ■■ C Cartwright ■■

3 What does Holmes tell Mrs Lyons?

A that Stapleton’s married ■■ B that Stapleton’s divorced ■■ C that Stapleton’s engaged ■■

4 Where do Holmes, Watson and Lestrade go after dinner?

A to Lafter Hall ■■ B to Baskerville Hall ■■ C to Merripit House ■■

5 What does the hound look like?

A it’s a black and white dog with a green fi re in its eyes ■■ B it’s a large black dog with a green collar ■■ C it’s a large black dog with a green light in its

mouth and a green fi re in its eyes ■■

6 Holmes and Watson think that Stapleton’s probably dead.

How did he die?

A he died in the Grimpen Mire ■■ B the hound killed him ■■ C his wife killed him ■■

7 Miss Stapleton’s real name is Garcia. Where does she come from?

A Brazil ■■ B Mexico ■■ C Costa Rica ■■

Reading Comprehension

7171

Writing and Grammar

2 Complete this extract from Sherlock Holmes’s fi nal report.

Choose verbs in the box to help you. Remember to put the verbs

into the Past Simple.

Rodger was a bad man, like his father. He ____ a lot of money. The police

wanted to talk to him, so he changed his name to Vandeleur. Mr and Mrs

Vandeleur ____ to England. Here, they ____ their school in the north.

Then, when the three schoolboys died, the Vandeleurs ____ their name

again to Stapleton. They ____ to Dartmoor. Stapleton knew he was a

Baskerville. He knew Sir Charles was rich. He decided to kill Sir Charles.

Beryl pretended to be Stapleton’s sister and they ____ a house near

Baskerville Hall. Here, Stapleton ____ friends with Sir Charles Baskerville.

Sir Charles ____ Stapleton about the Hound of the Baskervilles. Stapleton

_____ that Sir Charles was afraid of the Hound and he knew that Sir

Charles had a weak heart. This gave Stapleton the idea.

change go escape tell start buy

steal become know give

Speaking

3 a Interview your partner.

1 How many books do you read a year? ■ ■ none ■ ■ a few ■ ■ a lot

2 How often do you read a newspaper? ■ ■ never ■ ■ sometimes ■ ■ often

3 What type of books do you like? Tick (✓). mysteries ■ ■ thrillers ■ ■ romantic novels ■ ■ horror stories ■ ■ classics ■■ ghost stories ■■ historical novels ■■ cartoons ■■ sci fi ■■ others _____________

3 b Did you enjoy the story of the Hound of the Baskervilles?

Why/Why not?

Are you a bookworm?

74

FOCUS ON...

Sir Arthur Conan DoyleEarly Life

One of the professors at the University of Edinburgh was Dr Joseph Bell. He was very famous. He believed that observation, logic and analysis were very important for doctors. Sometimes Bell made deductions* about his patients’ lives and jobs and his students were often very surprised at his ability. Dr

Bell’s observational and analytical skills inspired Conan Doyle to invent the character of Sherlock Holmes - the detective with the same great skills. Another Scottish writer who studied at Edinburgh, Robert Louis Stevenson, even recognised Dr Bell when he fi rst read the Sherlock Holmes stories.

When Arthur Conan Doyle qualifi ed as a medical man, he began working as a ship’s doctor. He travelled to the Arctic and West Africa. When he returned to Britain, he

worked in Portsmouth in southern England. He wasn’t always successful as a doctor, so he often had enough time to write his stories and novels.

The Real Sherlock Holmes

A Medical Man

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1859. He went to a famous Roman Catholic boarding school* in England. The training he received from the Jesuits at school was important in his later life, although he was an atheist*. When he fi nished school, he returned to Edinburgh. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. While he was still a student he started writing short stories. One of his stories was published when he was only nineteen.

75

Holmes and Dr Watson, from the Sherlock Holmes

story The Greek Interpreter (1893)

Conan Doyle wrote 56 short stories and four novels about the detective. His fi rst Sherlock Holmes story was A Study in Scarlet (1887). Many of the short stories were published in Strand Magazine, a monthly publication. When the Hound of the Baskervilles was serialized in the magazine, it was a great success. Readers queued up outside the offi ces to buy the next instalment of the story! Conan Doyle wrote many other different types of books too. One of his other famous characters is a mad scientist called Professor Challenger.

Later Life Conan Doyle’s later life was very sad. His son Kingsley died of pneumonia during the First World War. His brother and two brothers-in-law also died and Conan Doyle became depressed. As a result of his depression, he became very interested in spiritualism and mediums*. He wrote “The History of Spiritualism” in 1926. He travelled all around the world promoting spiritualism. Arthur Conan Doyle died on 7th July 1930.

Private Life Conan Doyle was married twice. His fi rst wife, Louisa, died in 1906. The next year, he married for the second time. His second wife was called Jean. He had two children with Louisa and three with Jean. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a very keen sportsman. He was a good footballer, cricketer and golfer.

Task

Complete the form with the information about Arthur Conan Doyle.

Name:

Place of birth:

Date of birth:

Studied:

Occupation:

Name of fi rst Sherlock Holmes story:

Number of Sherlock Holmes stories:

Number of children:

Date of death:

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

boarding school a school away from home where you live

atheist a person who doesn't believe in God

deduction a decision about something based on facts

medium a person who communicates with spirits

The Works of Conan Doyle