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The Red-Headed League
The Red-Headed League

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Red-Headed League is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.
The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.
A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.
She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.
She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Red-Headed League

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Red-Headed League is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.
Line 2
The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.
Line 3
A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.
Line 4
She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.
/ʃiː steɪts ðæt waɪl ʃiː wɑːz ðer ʃiː sɔː æt ðə ˈbɔːrdər ʌv ðə wʊd ənd kloʊs baɪ ðə leɪk ˈmɪstər məˈkɑːrθi ənd hɪz sʌn ənd ðæt ðeɪ əˈpɪrd tuː biː ˈhævɪŋ ə ˈvaɪələnt ˈkwɔːrəl/
Line 5
She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.
/ʃiː hɜːrd ˈmɪstər məˈkɑːrθi ðə ˈeldər ˈjuːzɪŋ ˈveri strɔːŋ ˈlæŋɡwədʒ tuː hɪz sʌn ənd ʃiː sɔː ðə ˈlætər reɪz ʌp hɪz hænd æz ɪf tuː straɪk hɪz ˈfɑːðər/

Learner Dictionary

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.

border noun US /ˈbɔːrdər/

a line that indicates a boundary

From this reading “She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.”

fourteen noun US /ˈfɔːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one

From this reading “A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.”

fringe noun US /frɪndʒ/

the outside boundary or surface of something

From this reading “The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.”

McCarthy noun US /məˈkɑːrθi/

United States satirical novelist and literary critic (1912-1989)

From this reading “She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.”

picking noun US /ˈpɪkɪŋ/

the quantity of a crop that is harvested

From this reading “A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.”

reeds noun US /riːdz/

plural of “reed” — tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites

From this reading “The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.”

thickly adverb US /ˈθɪkli/

spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue

From this reading “The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.”

wooded adjective US /ˈwʊdɪd/

covered with growing trees and bushes etc

From this reading “The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.”

All words in this reading · 81

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

bordernounUS /ˈbɔːrdər/

a line that indicates a boundary

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

Boscombe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

Crowder

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

edgenounUS /edʒ/

the boundary of a surface

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

eldernounUS /ˈeldər/

a person who is older than you are

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

estatenounUS /ɪˈsteɪt/

everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

flowersnounUS /ˈflaʊərz/

plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

fourteennounUS /ˈfɔːrˈtiːn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

fringenounUS /frɪndʒ/

the outside boundary or surface of something

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

game-keeper

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

grassverbUS /ɡræs/

shoot down, of birds

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

lakenounUS /leɪk/

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

languagenounUS /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

lodge-keeper

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

McCarthynounUS /məˈkɑːrθi/

United States satirical novelist and literary critic (1912-1989)

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

McCarthys

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

Moran

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

PatiencenounUS /ˈpeɪʃəns/

good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

pickingnounUS /ˈpɪkɪŋ/

the quantity of a crop that is harvested

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

PoolnounUS /puːl/

an excavation that is (usually) filled with water

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

quarrelnounUS /ˈkwɔːrəl/

an angry dispute

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

raiseverbUS /reɪz/

raise the level or amount of something

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

reedsnounUS /riːdz/

plural of “reed” — tall woody perennial grasses with hollow slender stems especially of the genera Arundo and Phragmites

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

statesnounUS /steɪts/

plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

strikeverbUS /straɪk/

deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

thicklyadverbUS /ˈθɪkli/

spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

usingnounUS /ˈjuːzɪŋ/

an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

ValleynounUS /ˈvæli/

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading She heard Mr. McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father.

violentadjectiveUS /ˈvaɪələnt/

acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

William

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “The two McCarthys were seen after the time when William Crowder, the game-keeper, lost sight of them.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

woodnounUS /wʊd/

the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees

From this reading She states that while she was there she saw, at the border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son, and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel.

woodedadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdɪd/

covered with growing trees and bushes etc

From this reading The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge.

woodsnounUS /wʊdz/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading A girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods picking flowers.

Chapter 5 of The Red-Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

What does chapter 5 of The Red-Headed League contain?

Chapter 5 holds 408 sentences of The Red-Headed League, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Red-Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of The Red-Headed League?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.

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Vocabulary met early in The Red-Headed League

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Red-Headed League, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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