Book Anatomy · The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 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 77 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
7,956 different words. On average 50 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 3,542 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
holmes, sherlock, watson, simon, baker. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 12.21 words ending in 'ly' and 8.38 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 3.9% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 6.4% 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, it, the, he, you.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| i | 1004 |
| it | 420 |
| the | 328 |
| he | 305 |
| you | 259 |
| and | 200 |
| but | 182 |
| there | 160 |
| then | 135 |
| holmes | 126 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.79 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
123 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 1.17 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 14: I could not help laughing at the ease with which he explained his process of deduction. “When I hear you give your reasons,” I remarked, “the thing always …
Ch 1, para 136: “He was in the house about half an hour, and I could catch glimpses of him in the windows of the sitting-room, pacing up and down, talking excitedly, …
Ch 1, para 140: “My cabby drove fast. I don’t think I ever drove faster, but the others were there before us. The cab and the landau with their steaming horses were …
Ch 1, para 196: Holmes had sat up upon the couch, and I saw him motion like a man who is in need of air. A maid rushed across and threw open …
Ch 1, para 253: “On the contrary, my dear sir,” cried the King; “nothing could be more successful. I know that her word is inviolate. The photograph is now as safe as …
Ch 2, para 17: “How, in the name of good-fortune, did you know all that, Mr. Holmes?” he asked. “How did you know, for example, that I did manual labour. It’s as …
Similes and metaphors are sparse and functional. Holmes compares deduction to solving a puzzle (ch2), and characters are described through physical metaphors like 'the woman' for Irene Adler. Most figurative language serves plot rather than atmosphere.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. (Ch 1, para 2)
My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence. These little problems help me to do so. (Ch 2, para 213)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 63%, sound 24%, touch 11%, taste 2%, smell 1%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 779 |
| sound | 291 |
| touch | 133 |
| taste | 20 |
| smell | 15 |
Sight dominates throughout, with Holmes observing tiny details like worn knees and typewriter marks. Sound appears in dialogue and cries. Smell and taste are rare; touch appears in physical confrontations and the swamp adder's movement.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 7, Ch 8
the little things are infinitely the most important (Ch 3, para 50)
Never trust to general impressions, my boy, but concentrate yourself upon details (Ch 3, para 87)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
74 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.7 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three appear in case summaries and deductions. Repetition of key phrases like 'the woman' and 'the little things' reinforces themes. Chapter titles follow a pattern: 'The Adventure of' or 'A Case of', creating rhythm.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 12
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. (Ch 1, para 2)
the little things are infinitely the most important (Ch 3, para 50)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: whence, art, nay, thither, ere.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| whence | 6 |
| art | 5 |
| nay | 1 |
| thither | 1 |
| ere | 1 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
The book shows rather than tells through dialogue and scene. Holmes demonstrates his methods by deducing facts from objects (ch7 hat, ch7 goose) rather than explaining theory. Watson's narration reports actions directly.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 7, Ch 8
That the man was highly intellectual is of course obvious upon the face of it, and also that he was fairly well-to-do within the last three years, although he has now fallen upon evil days. (Ch 7, para 28)
The question for us now to solve is the sequence of events leading from a rifled jewel-case at one end to the crop of a goose in Tottenham Court Road at the other. (Ch 7, para 62)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description is minimal and woven into action. Watson rarely pauses for setting details; he moves through scenes and reports what he observes. Action drives the narrative forward with little static description.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 6, Ch 8
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 4.32 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| heard | 113 |
| saw | 89 |
| thought | 77 |
| seemed | 69 |
| knew | 57 |
| felt | 33 |
| noticed | 7 |
| watched | 6 |
| realised | 2 |
| wondered | 1 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from playful in early cases (ch1, ch2) to darker in ch5 and ch8 when violence and death appear. The final chapter returns to resolution and mild satisfaction. Watson's voice remains steady but his mood reflects the case gravity.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 5, Ch 8, Ch 12
K. K. K.!’ he shrieked, and then, ‘My God, my God, my sins have overtaken me! (Ch 5, para 38)
The band! the speckled band!” whispered Holmes. (Ch 8, para 243)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy works through Holmes's arrogance and Watson's bewilderment. Ironic reversals occur when criminals are caught by their own schemes (ch2, ch8). Wordplay and Holmes's dismissal of Watson's theories create humour.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 7
When a woman thinks that her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values most. (Ch 1, para 209)
Not at all. I am glad to have a friend with whom I can discuss my results. (Ch 7, para 3)
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