BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

9 uses of 'dead'
The Hound of the Baskervilles

Darren
Hello, I'm Darren. I'm sure you've heard of Sherlock Holmes - Britain's most famous sleuth.
Well I'm going to tell you about The Hound of the Baskervilles - perhaps one of his
strangest cases.

One day Holmes and Dr Watson are visited in London by Dr Mortimer, whose friend, Sir
Charles Baskerville, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances. Close to his body
was a gigantic paw print! Mortimer is dead certain that a huge dog is responsible for the
death. According to legend, an enormous black hound has haunted the Baskerville family for
centuries. Intrigued, Holmes agrees to help protect the new heir to the estate – Sir Henry
Baskerville - who Mortimer believes is in deadly danger. Sir Henry has been warned in a
note to stay away from Baskerville Hall. And … bizarrely, two of his shoes have gone
missing.

Watson is sent on ahead to Baskerville Hall. On arriving in deepest Dartmoor, Watson's

suspicions are raised by the strange behaviour of the butler and his wife. He also learns that
a convict, Selden, has escaped from a nearby prison. Watson sees Barrymore, the butler,
signalling to someone on the moor in the dead of night.

Watson also meets the Stapletons, a brother and sister who are neighbours. Beryl Stapleton
– thinking he is actually Sir Henry - warns Watson to leave the area immediately. The plot
thickens! Walking outside one night, Watson stops dead in his tracks. A bloodcurdling howl
comes from the moor. The hound! Then Watson spies a strange figure standing on a hilltop.

Dr Watson has gone on ahead, and has encountered strange goings-on. It turns out that the
Barrymores have been signalling to Selden, the escaped convict, who is Mrs Barrymore's
brother. Watson and Sir Henry set off in search of the mysterious figure on the moor, only
to discover that it's Holmes, gone undercover to gather clues more easily. Holmes knows
that Beryl is in fact Stapleton's wife, not sister, and believes Stapleton is responsible for Sir
Charles's death.

Suddenly there was a spine-chilling howl. Then dead silence. They rush to find a man at the
bottom of a cliff, stone dead. He'd clearly been running from someone or something and
fallen. It's Seldon, in Henry's clothes, supplied by his sister. But Henry had been the real
target. The three men set a trap. Henry goes to dinner with Stapleton whilst Holmes and
Watson watch from a distance.

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Suddenly, out leaps an enormous hound and attacks Henry. Holmes shoots it dead. They
search for Stapleton on the moor, but on finding his boot realize he's drowned in a swamp.
“How did you know it was Stapleton?” asks Watson.

“Hugh Baskerville's portrait'', replied Holmes – 't was a dead giveaway. Stapleton was a dead
ringer for Hugh so I knew they were related. He wanted to kill Henry to inherit the
fortune. He unleashed his vicious hound to give Sir Charles a heart attack. He then trained
it to track Henry.”

“The missing shoes!” exclaimed Watson. “Holmes, you're a genius.” “Elementary, my dear
Watson!” replied Holmes.

And that concludes his investigation and this story. I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you again
soon. Bye for now.

Definitions

dead (A2)
not alive

dead certain (C1)

completely sure about something

deadly danger (B2)

extreme danger

the dead of night (C1)

the middle of the night

stops dead in his tracks (C2)

stop suddenly

dead silence (C1)

completely quiet

stone dead (C1)

completely dead

dead giveaway (C2)

something that accidentally but clearly reveals a secret

dead ringer (C2)

exact likeness

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KEY
A1 = Beginner
A2 = Elementary
B1 = Lower Intermediate
B2 = Higher Intermediate
C1 = Towards Advanced
C2 = Advanced

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