English Learning

Walter Raleigh and Past Perfect

October 25, 2025

⚓ WALTER RALEIGH (1552–1618)

Sir Walter Raleigh was a famous English traveller and writer.
He sailed across the seas to find new lands.
He brought potatoes and tobacco to England, both unknown before.
At first, people disliked potatoes because they didn’t know how to cook them.
Later, they discovered the good taste and began to grow them.

Raleigh also learned to smoke from the Indians.
One day, while smoking in his room, a servant saw smoke and thought his master was on fire.
He quickly poured water over him — it was quite a funny story.

Later, when Queen Elizabeth I died, King James I became the ruler.
Raleigh took part in a plot against the king and was imprisoned.
During his time in prison, he wrote The History of the World.
He was later sent on another expedition to America to search for gold,
but he hadn’t found any — and in 1618 he was sentenced to death.

🧩 Vocabulary

English Pronunciation Lithuanian
an expedition /ˌekspəˈdɪʃn/ ekspedicija
to split – pertrūkti
a pipe /paɪp/ pypkė
to be fond of – mėgti
tobacco /təˈbækəʊ/ tabakas
a servant /ˈsɜːvənt/ tarnas
to be on fire /ɒn ˈfaɪə/ užsidegti
to imprison /ɪmˈprɪzən/ įkalinti
to explore /ɪkˈsplɔː/ tyrinėti

💬 Saying

Easy come, easy go.
Kas lengvai ateina – lengvai išeina.

🧠 GRAMMAR – PAST PERFECT

🧩 Rule

Formula:
had + past participle (V3)
Example: He had finished his work before she came.

Used to describe an action that happened before another past action.

✅ Affirmative

English Lithuanian
I had swum aš buvau nuplaukęs
He had swum jis buvo nuplaukęs

❌ Negative

English Lithuanian
I had not swum aš nebuvau nuplaukęs
They had not swum jie nebuvo nuplaukę

❓ Interrogative

English Lithuanian
Had you swum? Ar buvai nuplaukęs?
Had they swum? Ar jie buvo nuplaukę?

✅ Used with:

  • before, after, by the time, when, already, just, never.

Exercises

Exercise 1Text Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What did Walter Raleigh bring to England?
  2. Why did people dislike potatoes at first?
  3. What funny thing happened when Raleigh smoked?
  4. What did he write in prison?
  5. What was the reason for his death?

Exercise 2True or False

Mark True (T) or False (F).

  1. Walter Raleigh was a sailor and a writer.
  2. He found gold in America.
  3. People immediately liked potatoes.
  4. The servant thought Raleigh was on fire.
  5. Raleigh was imprisoned during King James I’s reign.

Exercise 3Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with words from the text.

  1. Raleigh brought ____ to England.
  2. The servant poured ____ on him.
  3. He wrote The History of the ____.
  4. He hadn’t found any ____ in America.
  5. The king put him to ____.

Exercise 4Past Perfect Practice

Complete using had + V3.

  1. He ____ (finish) the book before he was arrested.
  2. They ____ (not find) gold in America.
  3. The servant didn’t know what had ____ (happen).
  4. She ____ (never see) potatoes before.
  5. He ____ (bring) tobacco to England.

Exercise 5Rewrite with Past Perfect

Rewrite the sentences using Past Perfect.

  1. He finished the letter before the servant came.
  2. They didn’t know about potatoes.
  3. The king sent him to America.
  4. Raleigh wrote his book in prison.
  5. The people disliked the plant at first.

Exercise 6Choose the Correct Answer

Select the correct option.

  1. He ____ never seen tobacco before.

    • (a) had
    • (b) has
    • (c) have

  2. The servant poured water because he ____ his master was burning.

    • (a) thought
    • (b) had thought
    • (c) thinking

Exercise 7Match Columns

Match the event with its result.

Event Result
Raleigh brought potatoes People started growing them
Raleigh smoked a pipe Servant poured water
Raleigh was imprisoned He wrote The History of the World
Raleigh explored America He didn’t find gold
He hadn’t found gold He was sentenced to death

Exercise 8Complete the Dialogue

Complete the dialogue using the Past Perfect.

A: Had Raleigh found gold in America?
B: No, he ____ (not find) any.
A: What had he done before he was arrested?
B: He ____ (write) a book in prison.
A: Really? That’s interesting!

Exercise 9Correct the Mistakes

Find and correct the mistakes.

  1. He have found gold in America.
  2. The king had not ask him to travel.
  3. Raleigh had wrote many books.
  4. They hadn’t find any tobacco.
  5. The people had dislike potatoes.

Exercise 10Creative Writing

Write a short paragraph (5–6 sentences) using the Past Perfect tense about a discovery or invention.
Example: I had invented a new tool before others tried to copy it.

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