Listen&Learn: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Learn about some of the most famous detective stories of all time.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• iconic: famous and influential
• detective: a person who solves crimes
• resent: to be angry or upset about something
• deserve: to be worthy of something
• acclaim: praise for an accomplishment
• resurrect: to bring someone back to life

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:31 — 1.4MB)

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Gapfill exercise

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a mystery story written by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is considered one of the most iconic detective in history. The character first appeared in Conan Doyle’s 1887 novel, A Study in Scarlet. Conan Doyle later published several short stories about Holmes in . The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was published in 1892, the first of five Sherlock Holmes story collections. Although the detective stories were very , Conan Doyle resented their popularity. He believed that his other writing deserved more acclaim. In an 1894 story, he Holmes so he could move on to other work. However, his publishers eventually convinced him to resurrect the character. Throughout his life, Conan Doyle published a total of 62 stories about Sherlock Holmes.

Comprehension questions

1. Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes first appeared in
   a. a novel
   b. a short story collection
   c. a children’s book
   
2. The first short story collection about Holmes was published in
   a. 1887
   b. 1892
   c. 1894
   
3. Conan Doyle resented the popularity of the Holmes stories because
   a. he hated writing detective fiction
   b. he never wanted to be famous
   c. he thought his other writing deserved more attention

See answers below

Discussion/essay questions

1. Why do you think people enjoy mystery stories?

Transcript

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a mystery story collection written by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes is considered one of the most iconic detective characters in history. The character first appeared in Conan Doyle’s 1887 novel, A Study in Scarlet. Conan Doyle later published several short stories about Holmes in magazines. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was published in 1892, the first of five Sherlock Holmes story collections. Although the detective stories were very successful, Conan Doyle resented their popularity. He believed that his other writing deserved more acclaim. In an 1894 story, he killed Holmes so he could move on to other work. However, his publishers eventually convinced him to resurrect the character. Throughout his life, Conan Doyle published a total of 62 stories about Sherlock Holmes.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2b 3c