The adventure of the empty house

by A. Conan Doyle

It (to be) ________in the spring of the year 1894 that the news of the murder of Ronald Adair under the most unusual circumstances (to excite) ______________all London. Ronald Adair (to be) _____the second son of the Earl Maynooth. Adair’s mother (to return) __________ from Australia to undergo the operation for cataract and she, her son Ronald and her daughter Hilda (to live) _______together at 427 Park Lain. He (to be) _________a quiet man whose life (to move) _________ in a narrow circle. And someone unexpectedly (to murder) __________ this aristocrat between ten and eleven twenty on the night of March 1894.

Ronald Adair (to be) ________fond of cards. He (to belong) _______________ to several card clubs. On the day of his death he (to play) ______________whist at one of these card clubs. The man playing with him (to say) ___________ that he had lost about five pounds but no more. He (to be) ________a rich man and the loss (not to be) ___________important for him. He (to play) ___________every day and generally (to win) ______________.

On the evening of the crime he (to return) ___________from the club at ten. His mother and sister (to be) __________out spending the evening with a friend of theirs. The servant (to hear) ___________him come into the front room on the second floor. Lady Maynooth and her daughter (to return) ______________ at eleven twenty. They (to want) _________to say good-night to Ronald. They (to knock) _____________ at the door, but no answer (to come) _____________. The door (to be) ___________ locked on the inside. They (to call) __________for help, and when the door (to be) ___________forced they (to find) _________ the young man lying near the table with a revolver bullet in his head. On the table there (to be) _________two banknotes for two pounds each and seventeen pounds in silver and gold.

Why ______ the young man (to lock) _________ the door on the inside? Perhaps the murderer (to do) _________that and (to escape) ______________ by the window.

Thinking about these facts I (to ask) ___________ myself what my poor friend Sherlock Holmes would have done under those circumstances but I (not to find) __________ the right answer.

• Ask questions of your own about the text and let your fellow students answer them.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Retell the text.

Exercise 8

• Use the verb from the box to complete the sentences in the Past Indefinite Tense. Some of the sentences are positive statements, some are negative. Translate the sentences into Russian.

a)

to examine to write to disturb to be to prevent(from) to find to order to arrive to keep to interview