Chapter 5 of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IV. THE BOSCOMBE VALLEY MYSTERY We were seated at breakfast one morning, my wife and I, when the maid brought in a telegram. It was from Sherlock Holmes and ran in this way: “Have you a couple of days to spare?
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Surely it would not be difficult to find out. This is not such a populous neighbourhood.” Lestrade shrugged his shoulders. “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg. I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard.”
Chapter 5 of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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.
using or intended for the left hand
From this reading ““I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.”
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading ““I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.”
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading “This is not such a populous neighbourhood.””
densely populated
From this reading “This is not such a populous neighbourhood.””
concerned with actual use or practice
From this reading ““I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.”
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading “I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard.””
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “Lestrade shrugged his shoulders.”
enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading ““I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.”
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 This is not such a populous neighbourhood.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
a man of refinement
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lestrade shrugged his shoulders.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is not such a populous neighbourhood.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard.”
using or intended for the left hand
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lestrade shrugged his shoulders.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading This is not such a populous neighbourhood.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
densely populated
From this reading This is not such a populous neighbourhood.”
concerned with actual use or practice
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard.”
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Lestrade shrugged his shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading Lestrade shrugged his shoulders.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading This is not such a populous neighbourhood.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is not such a populous neighbourhood.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I am a practical man,” he said, “and I really cannot undertake to go about the country looking for a left-handed gentleman with a game leg.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Surely it would not be difficult to find out.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading I should become the laughing-stock of Scotland Yard.”
Use these questions to verify literal comprehension before continuing to the next chapter.
What is the central narrative or theme conveyed in this section of Case 04: The Boscombe Valley Mystery?
Which core linguistic virtue or character attribute is emphasized in this passage?
According to the text: "IV....", what tone does the author establish?
Repeat the selected source lines aloud to practice rhythm, stress, and clear US English pronunciation.
Chapter 5 of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle holds 499 sentences, grouped into 100 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 5 holds 499 sentences of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 499 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6586 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1661 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1661, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 548 minutes of reading across 1318 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 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 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
