A CASE OF IDENTITY

"My dear fellow," said Sherlock Holmes as we sat on either side of the fire
in his lodgings at Baker Street, "life is infinitely stranger than anything
which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the
things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out
of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the
roofs, and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange
coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of
events, working through generation, and leading to the most outré results, it
would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions
most stale and unprofitable."
"And yet I am not convinced of it," I answered. "The cases which come to
light in the papers are, as a rule, bald enough, and vulgar enough. We have
in our police reports realism pushed to its extreme limits, and yet the result
is, it must be confessed, neither fascinating nor artistic."
"A certain selection and discretion must be used in producing a realistic
effect," remarked Holmes. "This is wanting in the police report, where more
stress is laid, perhaps, upon the platitudes of the magistrate than upon the
details, which to an observer contain the vital essence of the whole matter.
Depend upon it, there is nothing so unnatural as the commonplace."
I smiled and shook my head. "I can quite understand your thinking so." I
said. "Of course, in your position of unofficial adviser and helper to
everybody who is absolutely puzzled, throughout three continents, you are
brought in contact with all that is strange and bizarre. But here"—I picked
up the morning paper from the ground—"let us put it to a practical test. Here
is the first heading upon which I come. 'A husband's cruelty to his wife.'
There is half a column of print, but I know without reading it that it is all
perfectly familiar to me. There is, of course, the other woman, the drink, the
push, the blow, the bruise, the sympathetic sister or landlady. The crudest of
writers could invent nothing more crude." "Indeed, your example is an
unfortunate one for your argument," said Holmes, taking the paper and
glancing his eye down it. "This is the Dundas separation case, and, as it
happens, I was engaged in clearing up some small points in connection with
it. The husband was a teetotaler, there was no other woman, and the conduct
complained of was that he had drifted into the habit of winding up every
meal by taking out his false teeth and hurling them at his wife, which, you
will allow, is not an action likely to occur to the imagination of the average
storyteller. Take a pinch of snuff, Doctor, and acknowledge that I have
scored over you in your example."
He held out his snuffbox of old gold, with a great amethyst in the center of
the lid. Its splendor was in such contrast to his Londraly ways and simple
life that I could not help commenting upon it.
"Ah," said he, "I forgot that I had not seen you for some weeks. It is a little
souvenir from the King of Bohemia in return for my assistance in the case
of the Irene Adler papers."
"And the ring?" I asked, glancing at a remarkable brilliant which sparkled upon his finger.
"It was from the reigning family of Holland, though the matter in which I
served them was of such delicacy that I cannot confide it even to you, who
have been good enough to chronicle one or two of my little problems."
 "Mi querido amigo", dijo Sherlock Holmes mientras nos sentábamos a ambos lados del fuego en su
alojamiento en Baker Street, "la vida es infinitamente más extraña que cualquier cosa que la mente del
hombre pueda inventar. No nos atrevemos a concebir las cosas que son realmente meros lugares comunes
de existencia. Si pudiéramos volar de esa ventana mano a mano, sobrevolar esta gran ciudad, quitar los
techos y observar las cosas raras que están sucediendo, las extrañas coincidencias, los planos, la cruz. "Con
los propósitos, las maravillosas cadenas de eventos, trabajando a través de la generación y conduciendo a
los resultados más extraordinarios, haría que toda ficción con sus convencionalismos y conclusiones
previstas sea más estancada e improductiva".
"Y, sin embargo, no estoy convencido de ello", respondí. "Los casos que salen a la luz en los periódicos son,
por regla general, lo suficientemente calvos, y lo suficientemente vulgares. En nuestros informes policiales,
el realismo ha llegado a sus límites extremos y, sin embargo, el resultado es, debe confesarse, no es
fascinante ni artístico."
"Se debe utilizar una cierta selección y discreción para producir un efecto realista", remarcó Holmes. "Esto
es deficiente en el informe policial, donde se pone más énfasis, quizás, en los lugares comunes del
magistrado que en los detalles, que para un observador contienen la esencia vital de todo el asunto.
Depende de ello, no hay nada tan antinatural". como el lugar común ".
Sonreí y sacudí mi cabeza. "Puedo entender muy bien tu forma de pensar." Dije. "Por supuesto, en su
puesto de asesor no oficial y ayudante de todos los que están absolutamente desconcertados, en los tres
continentes, se pone en contacto con todo lo que es extraño y extraño. Pero aquí" recogí el periódico de la
mañana desde el suelo ... "Pongámonos a prueba. Aquí está el primer encabezado al que me refiero. 'La
crueldad de un marido hacia su esposa'. Hay media columna impresa, pero sin leerlo sé que todo me es
perfectamente familiar. Está, por supuesto, la otra mujer, la bebida, el empuje, el golpe, el moretón, la
hermana simpática o la casera. El más burdo de los escritores no pudo inventar nada más crudo ".
"De hecho, su ejemplo es desafortunado para su discusión", dijo Holmes, tomando el papel y echándole
un vistazo. "Este es el caso de separación de Dundas y, a medida que sucede, me ocupé de aclarar algunos
puntos pequeños en relación con él. El marido era un abstemio, no había otra mujer y la conducta de la
que se quejaba era que se había apartado. en el hábito de terminar cada comida sacando sus dientes falsos
y arrojándolos a su esposa, lo cual, usted permitirá, no es una acción que pueda ocurrirle a la imaginación
del narrador promedio. Tome una pizca de tabaco, doctor, y reconoce que he puntuado sobre ti en tu
ejemplo ".
Extendió su caja de rapé de oro viejo, con una gran amatista en el centro de la tapa. Su esplendor estaba
en un contraste tan grande con sus formas de Londres y su vida simple que no pude evitar comentarlo.
"Ah", dijo, "olvidé que no te había visto durante algunas semanas. Es un pequeño recuerdo del Rey de
Bohemia a cambio de mi ayuda en el caso de los papeles de Irene Adler".
"¿Y el anillo?" Le pregunté, mirando a un extraordinario brillante que brillaba en su dedo.
"Era de la familia reinante de Holanda, aunque el asunto en el que les servía era de una delicadeza tal
que no puedo confiarlo ni siquiera a usted, que ha sido lo suficientemente bueno como para describir
uno o dos de mis pequeños problemas".
Condicional 1
1: Si no termino mi tarea, no iré a la fiesta 6: Si hace frio, me llevare una chamarra

If I do not finish my homework, I will not party If it's cold, I'll take a jacket

2: Si él no estudia, no pasara el examen 7: Si hago ejercicio, bajare de peso

If not study, do not pass the exam If I exercise, will lose weight

3: Si tengo tiempo, visitare a mi abuela 8: Si no nos apuramos, perderemos nuestro autobús

If I have time, visit my grandmother If we don't hurry, we'll miss our bus.
9: Si él no come, se enfermara
4: Si te sientes enfermo, debes ir al doctor
If you do not eat, get sick
If you feel sick, you go to the doctor
10: Si a él le gusta el carro, lo comprara
5: Si ellos no vienen aquí, tendremos que ir a su casa
If he likes the car, buy it
If they do not come here, we'll have to go home
She is going to leave.

I am going to stay.

Afirmativa

He is going to jog.

Negativa

He is not going to jog.

Interrogativa

Is he going to jog?

Interrogativa negativa

Isn't he going to jog?

 Is Freddy going to buy a new car soon?

 Are John and Pam going to visit Milan when they are in Italy?
 I think Nigel and Mary are going to have a party next week.
 We are going to have dinner together tomorrow.
 Aren't you going to stay at the library until your report is finished?