[Grammar] Need help with some sentences from essay.

[phill2013]

Greetings!
I have some grammar problems with some sentences.
Please help to correct them.
Here there are:

Francis Drake have been one of the most famous of English sailors and pirates.
A boy spent many time looking on the ships in Plymouth harbor and talking to the seamen.
At fifteen he has been taken on a small ship and worked there for some years.
The boy have learned the duties of a sailor very soon.
When Drake was 25 he has been made a captain's mate and soon after the captain of the ship.
Sea-battles between English and Spanish ships was common at that time.

Thanks in advance.

 

[5jj]

Welcome to the forum, Phill. :hi:

Let's look at one thing at a time.

When you are writing about events that happened in the past, the present perfect is not an appropriate tense.

Francis Drake have been one of the most famous of English sailors and pirates.
At fifteen he has been taken on a small ship and worked there for some years.
The boy have learned the duties of a sailor very soon.
When Drake was 25 he has been made a captain's mate and soon after the captain of the ship.

Change the tenses, and then we'll look at other problems.

 

[phill2013]

Thanks for your reply)

So, tried to change the tenses:

Francis Drake was of the most famous of English sailors and pirates.
At fifteen he was taken on a small ship and worked there for some years.
The boy learned the duties of a sailor very soon.
When Drake was 25 he was made a captain's mate and soon after the captain of the ship.

 

[emsr2d2]

Thanks for your reply)

So, tried to change the tenses:

Francis Drake was one of the most famous of (missing words) English sailors and pirates.
At fifteen he was taken on a small ship and worked there for some years.
The boy learned the duties of a sailor very soon.
When Drake was 25 he was made a captain's mate and soon after (missing punctuation) the captain of the ship.

Well done. The tenses are now correct. Now look at my comments in red above and see if you can work out what is now incorrect.

 

[phill2013]

Well, how about that)):
Francis Drake was one of the most famous of all English sailors and pirates.
At fifteen he was taken to a small ship and worked there for some years.
The boy learned the duties of a sailor very quickly.
When Drake was 25 he was made a captain's mate and soon after he became the captain of the ship.

Thanks a lot for your help)