Read this story on Yak Yacker with clickable word help, full story audio, and lesson notes below the text.
This version is written for English-speaking learners who want a friendly reading experience in English.
The Baskerville family had a . Long ago, a ancestor was by a huge, ghostly hound on the moor. Since then, many Baskervilles died mysteriously.
Sir Charles Baskerville was found dead near his home. His face showed great . Next to his body were the of a hound.
Dr. Mortimer, a friend of the family, came to Sherlock Holmes. 'I am about the new heir, Sir Henry. The hound might him.'
Holmes . 'What do you want me to do?' he asked. ' Sir Henry,' said Mortimer. 'He in London today.'
Later, Sir Henry himself visited Holmes. He was a young man. He showed a that warned him to stay away. 'Someone does not want me at Baskerville Hall,' he said.
Holmes decided to Watson with Sir Henry to Devonshire. 'I will stay here in London,' he said. But he had a .
At Baskerville Hall, Watson felt the of the moor. The wind cried like a lost soul. At night, he sometimes heard a low, deep .
A neighbour, Mr. Stapleton, was kind but . He lived on the moor with his sister. Watson saw that Stapleton often Sir Henry closely.
One night, Watson saw a on the moor. He and found Sherlock Holmes! 'You are here!' cried Watson. 'Of course,' said Holmes. 'The is here, not in the city.'
Holmes explained: 'Stapleton is actually a Baskerville. He wants the . He used a huge dog, covered with paint, to kill Sir Charles. The hound is not a ghost.'
They . Sir Henry went to dinner at Stapleton's house. After dark, he across the moor alone.
Suddenly, a , fire-breathing shape from the fog. It was the hound, huge, its eyes and mouth glowing blue. Sir Henry cried out in .
Holmes and Watson and shot the beast. It . The nightmare was over. They found Stapleton had been hiding nearby, but he escaped into the .
The next day, the moor was . Sir Henry was safe. 'No more Baskerville curse,' said Holmes. 'Just a man and a poor, trained animal.'
The Baskervilles had a scary story. A bad ancestor was killed by a giant ghost dog on the moor. After that, many family members died in strange ways.
Sir Charles was found dead by his house. He looked terrified. Near him were huge dog tracks.
Dr. Mortimer visited Sherlock Holmes. He was worried about the new heir, Sir Henry, because the hound might attack him.
Holmes listened and asked what to do. Mortimer wanted him to protect Sir Henry, who was arriving in London that day.
Sir Henry visited Holmes. He was friendly and showed a warning letter. Someone didn't want him at Baskerville Hall.
Holmes sent Watson to go with Sir Henry to Devonshire. He said he would stay in London, but he had a secret plan.
Watson felt lonely at Baskerville Hall. The wind sounded sad. At night, he heard a deep howl.
Mr. Stapleton was a kind but odd neighbor. He lived on the moor with his sister. Watson noticed Stapleton watched Sir Henry carefully.
Watson saw a light on the moor and found Sherlock Holmes hidden there. Holmes said the danger was on the moor, not in London.
Holmes explained Stapleton was a secret Baskerville who wanted the family fortune. He used a big dog with glow-in-the-dark paint to scare Sir Charles to death. The hound wasn't supernatural.
They set a trap. Sir Henry had dinner at Stapleton's, then walked home alone at night.
A huge, terrifying dog with glowing eyes and mouth jumped out of the fog. Sir Henry screamed in fear.
Holmes and Watson shot the dog dead. They found Stapleton hiding, but he ran into the dangerous marsh and disappeared.
The next day was calm. Sir Henry was safe. Holmes said the curse was just a mean man and a mistreated trained dog.
The moor is full of strange words! Let's meet the most important ones so you can follow the mystery without getting lost in the fog.
Understanding these will help you talk about legends, family stories, and a bit of danger-perfect for a dark tale.
- moor: an open, wild area of land covered with rough grass and heather.
- heir: the person who receives money or property when someone dies.
- inheritance: money or possessions that pass to someone after a death.
- hound: a type of dog used for hunting; here, a huge and terrifying creature.
- curse: a magic word or phrase that brings bad luck or harm to someone.
The story mixes two past tenses to control the speed and atmosphere. Past simple carries the action forward: 'Holmes listened.' Past continuous paints a background picture: 'The wind was crying like a lost soul.'
Try to notice this as you read other stories-it's a simple tool, but it makes the difference between just telling what happened and really putting us there.
- Past simple for main events: 'Sir Henry cried out in terror.'
- Past continuous for scene-setting: 'Stapleton often watched Sir Henry closely.'
- Tip: use past continuous to describe what was already happening when the main action suddenly occurred.
Good mysteries don't just tell you 'it was scary'-they show you. Look at phrases like 'fire-breathing shape', 'eyes and mouth glowing blue', or 'the wind cried like a lost soul'. These choices make you feel the chill.
The language works through strong adjectives, similes, and sensory details (sight and sound). When you write your own spooky scene, borrow that trick: pick one or two vivid words and a surprising comparison.
- simile: 'cried like a lost soul' compares the wind's sound to something human and mournful.
- compound adjective: 'fire-breathing' combines two words to paint a clear, frightening image.
- sensory detail: 'a low, deep howl' reaches our ears before we see the danger.
Now that you've survived the hound, why not go a little deeper? Try using the new words and grammar yourself-it's the fastest way to make them stick.
Remember, every story you tell or write in English builds your fluency, even the dark ones!
- Retell one exciting scene from the story in your own words.
- Describe a spooky place using at least two of the vocabulary words from Section 1.
- Write a short curse for an imaginary family-what bad luck does it bring?
The Hound of the Baskervilles comes from an older public-domain story tradition and is best known as a public_domain_story_retelling. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on public-domain source material, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. This version is adapted for B1 Intermediate learners studying English.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the B1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try English Question Words for another useful next step.
