Book Anatomy · A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17
H1. Readability score per chapter. Count
Flesch reading ease for the whole book is about 71 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
5,723 different words. On average 52 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 3,015 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
holmes, sherlock, lestrade, companion, brixton. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 12.04 words ending in 'ly' and 8.46 likely adjectives per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
'ly' words per 1,000, chapter by chapter
H5. Share of weak verbs such as "was" and "had". Count
'Was', 'were', 'had', 'is' and 'are' make up 4.0% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 7.4% of sentences use a passive form such as 'was taken'. (rough estimate from word lists)
H7. Variety of sentence openings. Count
The five most common first words start 33% of sentences: i, the, he, it, you.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| i | 315 |
| the | 195 |
| he | 165 |
| it | 130 |
| you | 91 |
| there | 88 |
| in | 49 |
| we | 48 |
| they | 47 |
| what | 41 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.61 of its mean on average (higher means a more varied rhythm).
Variation per chapter, chapter by chapter
H9. Similes and metaphors: how many, and of what kind. Both
53 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 1.22 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 5: I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air—or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will …
Ch 1, para 5: I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air—or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will …
Ch 1, para 7: “Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson?” he asked in undisguised wonder, as we rattled through the crowded London streets. “You are as thin as a lath …
Ch 1, para 7: “Whatever have you been doing with yourself, Watson?” he asked in undisguised wonder, as we rattled through the crowded London streets. “You are as thin as a lath …
Ch 1, para 19: “No—I have no idea what he intends to go in for. I believe he is well up in anatomy, and he is a first-class chemist; but, as far …
Ch 1, para 42: “Ha! ha!” he cried, clapping his hands, and looking as delighted as a child with a new toy. “What do you think of that?”
The book uses similes and metaphors sparingly but effectively. Key examples include Lucy as a 'bud blossoming into a flower' (chapter 9) and the desert as a deadly force. Most figurative language appears in the Utah narrative (chapters 8 to 12) rather than the London investigation.
Chapters: Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 12
So the bud blossomed into a flower, and the year which saw her father the richest of the farmers left her as fair a specimen of American girlhood as could be found in the whole Pacific slope. (Ch 9, para 7)
Side by side on the narrow shawl knelt the two wanderers, the little prattling child and the reckless, hardened adventurer. (Ch 8, para 39)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 59%, sound 26%, touch 10%, taste 4%, smell 2%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 285 |
| sound | 124 |
| touch | 47 |
| taste | 18 |
| smell | 10 |
Sight dominates throughout. Sound appears in Mormon chants and dialogue. Smell and taste are minimal. Touch features in physical descriptions of the poisoned pill's effect on the dog (chapter 7). The book privileges visual observation as Holmes's method.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 7, Ch 11
The unfortunate creature’s tongue seemed hardly to have been moistened in it before it gave a convulsive shiver in every limb, and lay as rigid and lifeless as if it had been struck by lightning. (Ch 7, para 40)
You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive. (Ch 1, para 37)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
39 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.89 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three appear in Holmes's deductions about the murderer (chapter 4). The countdown warnings create a repeating pattern of dread (chapter 11). Repetition of the word 'revenge' marks Hope's obsession across chapters 12 to 13.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13
Twenty-nine days are given you for amendment, and then (Ch 11, para 25)
it’s enough that they were guilty of the death of two human beings—a father and a daughter—and that they had, therefore, forfeited their own lives. (Ch 13, para 23)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: art, whence, nay.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| art | 4 |
| whence | 2 |
| nay | 2 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
The book shows rather than tells through crime scenes and dialogue. Chapter 3 shows Drebber's death through Watson's observations rather than explanation. Chapter 13 shows Hope's guilt through his confession and physical collapse rather than narrative summary.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 7, Ch 13
Gentlemen,” he cried, with flashing eyes, “let me introduce you to Mr. Jefferson Hope, the murderer of Enoch Drebber and of Joseph Stangerson. (Ch 7, para 57)
A spasm of pain contorted his features; he threw his hands out in front of him, staggered, and then, with a hoarse cry, fell heavily upon the floor. (Ch 13, para 49)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description is brief and functional. The book moves quickly into action and dialogue. Chapter 3 describes the crime scene briefly before Holmes acts. Chapter 8 describes the desert briefly before the rescue occurs. Watson's narration favours plot over scene-setting.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 8
The man was dying—dying from hunger and from thirst. (Ch 8, para 6)
On, on to Zion!” cried the crowd of Mormons, and the words rippled down the long caravan, passing from mouth to mouth until they died away in a dull murmur in the far distance. (Ch 8, para 68)
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 4.54 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| saw | 50 |
| thought | 37 |
| knew | 29 |
| heard | 27 |
| seemed | 16 |
| felt | 16 |
| watched | 10 |
| realized | 6 |
| noticed | 6 |
| realised | 1 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from Watson's practical London voice (chapters 1 to 7) to a more romantic, tragic tone in the Utah narrative (chapters 8 to 12), then returns to analytical tone in the resolution (chapters 13 to 14). The shift marks the move from mystery to backstory.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 8, Ch 13
The love which had sprung up in his heart was not the sudden, changeable fancy of a boy, but rather the wild, fierce passion of a man of strong will and imperious temper. (Ch 9, para 22)
You may consider me to be a murderer; but I hold that I am just as much an officer of justice as you are. (Ch 13, para 52)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy is sparse and dry. Holmes's superiority over Lestrade and Gregson provides mild humour (chapters 6 to 7). Watson's bewilderment at Holmes's methods creates light moments (chapter 2). The final line's Latin quote offers ironic humour about money and applause.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 14
That’s the result of all our Study in Scarlet: to get them a testimonial! (Ch 14, para 25)
Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplor in arca. (Ch 14, para 27)
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