English lessons with Sherlock - The Dancing Men

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 does Sherlock crack the code of the dancing men?
13) How does Sherlock make the murderer come to him?

Now crack the code above using the same methods as our master of deduction.

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A series of inferences

Come to a conclusion

Keep a sharp look out

A chain of deductions

Investigate a case

Be very attentive

Come to the point

To trust s.o

Take my word for it

To investigate and understand completely

To have faith in s.o

Believe me

To get to the bottom of s.t

To hurry

To get a move on

To look into something

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.

Look s.t up

Accommodate s.o

Put s.o up

Learn some new information

Settle down s.w

Find s.t in a book/website

Be over

Reveal s.t that should be secret

Look back on s.t

Start to live permanently

Put s.t off

Finish

Wash s.t off

Escape

Give s.t away

Recall s.t

Find s.t out

Delay s.t

Run away

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.

cheerful

reputable

anxious

not awake nor aware

respectable

honourable

worthy

attached and loving

trivial

in a good mood

odd

unimportant

ravenous

requiring immediate attention

urgent

worried

unconscious

slightly open

devoted

starving

ajar

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) Mrs Cubitt lay ?????? after shooting herself.
4) Mr Cubitt was extremely ???????? thanks to these odd messages and had trouble sleeping.
5) Mrs Cubitt tried to persuade her husband that the messages were ????????? and childish scrawls.
6) The fact that Mr Cubitt kept his promise to his wife shows that he was a ??????? and ???????? man.

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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Comprehension

1) He can see chalk between Watson's forefinger and thumb. This leads him to conclude he was playing billiards, and with his billards 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