What was the last big mistake you made?

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Whodunit

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Let’s get started
with a short text

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Read the text and discuss the questions below.
The term whodunit (or whodunnit) comes from the question “Who [has] done it?”
and is a detective or mystery story. It has a complex plot and involves a puzzle of
who committed the crime. Readers or viewers get a series of clues, thanks to
which the perpetrator might be identified and the crime solved. There is often a
detective who conducts an investigation, poses a chain of questions and looks
for evidence on what happened. There are whodunit books as well as films. One
of the best-known writers of whodunits is Agatha Christie.
➔ Can you give any examples of whodunit books, films or TV series?
➔ Are there any famous whodunit authors in your country?
➔ When you read a whodunit novel or watch a whodunit film, do you try to solve
the puzzle along with the detectives?
➔ What famous detectives do you remember?

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Complete the sentences below with the correct words starting
with the letters provided.
a) He couldn’t have murdered Mr Smith because he has a strong ………… .
b) Kate had been killed and her husband was the prime (главный) …………… .
c) Detectives were brought in to help look for …………… in the search for the missing
boy.
d) He was released after the prosecutor (прокурор) failed to find enough ……………
against him.
e) Mary was found …………… of murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
f)
The FBI …………… the incident for two years before someone was arrested.
g) All of them were …………… by the police about yesterday’s robbery.
h) The …………… reported hearing two gunshots and seeing the criminal running away.

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Let’s check your answers.
alibi
a) He couldn’t have murdered Mr Smith because he has a strong ……………………………………
.
suspect .
b) Kate had been killed and her husband was the prime ………………………………………
clues
c) Detectives were brought in to help look for ………………………………………
in the search for the
missing boy.
evidence against
d) He was released after the prosecutor failed to find enough …………………………………….
him.
guilty
e) Mary was found ………………………………………
of murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
f)
The FBI ………………………………………... the incident for two years before someone was arrested.
investigated
g) All of them were ……………………………………… by the police about yesterday’s burglary.
questioned
h) The ……………………………………… reported hearing two gunshots and seeing the criminal running
witness
away.

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z
Now make up 1 sentence with as many
words from our vocabulary as possible.

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Discuss the questions.
➔ Why might it be difficult to investigate a crime and find
out who committed it?
➔ How do you think crime scenes are analysed? What
should we pay attention to and where should we look
for clues?
➔ What kind of questions do detectives pose when they
want to solve a crime?

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In a moment, you’ll watch a short video titled:
Whodunnit?

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Watch the first part of the video (to 00:39) and answer the questions.
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What happened?
2. Why do you think the
detective suspects that
Lady Smythe could have
committed the crime?

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Let’s check your answers.
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What happened?
Lord Smythe was murdered with a blunt instrument.
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Why do you think the detective suspects that Lady Smythe
could have committed the crime?

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Watch the whole video and say why Lady Smythe is the murderer
and what we should focus on when analysing a crime scene.

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Let’s check your answers.
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Why is Lady Smythe the murderer?
Lady Smythe is the murderer because she said she had been planting petunias at
the time of the murder. She couldn’t have been planting them because we don’t
plant petunias until after May.
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What should we focus on when analysing a crime scene?
When analysing a crime scene we should be very observant and focus on details.

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Let’s investigate!

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Read the short whodunit in the box and make deductions about
who might have killed Mrs Woods. Justify your answers.
EXAMPLE: I think Mrs Woods might have been killed by her husband because…
No, she couldn’t have been killed by her daughter because…
Five people live together in the Woods’ house. One Friday morning, Mrs Woods
is found dead. She was killed while her husband was sleeping. The husband
reports the crime to the police. While being questioned, Mr Woods tells the
detectives that his mother was planting flowers, the daughter was studying for
her exam and his father-in-law was reading a book in his study. After this short
investigation, the detectives immediately know who murdered Mrs Woods. Who
is guilty and why?

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Let’s see the correct answer.
Mr Woods killed Mrs Woods because he claimed that he had been
sleeping at the time of the murder, so he couldn’t have known what all the
people in the house had been doing at that time.

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Watch a few short riddles and guess what might have happened.
Justify your opinion.