Regular people can’t help but wish they were celebrities sometimes. Undoubtedly, celebrities find themselves wishing they were normal people occasionally, too.
Few celebrities have more drama or success than Rihanna. The singer, who was born in Barbados, has released seven albums since 2005, and all of them have gone gold or platinum. But her romantic life is less steady. She was famously beaten by boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009. They broke up, but now, she might be back together with him. Or is she the reason Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez broke up?
In addition to being a great artist, Rihanna seems like a good person, too. Her fans want her to be happy, because she makes them happy. Listen to Greta and Amanda talk about Rihanna’s exciting music and personal life in this English lesson.
Amanda: Did you see Rihanna on the Grammys?
Greta: Did she perform?
Amanda: Yes, and I think she needs to eat a sandwich!
Greta: Oh, I did not see her performance, I just saw her sitting in the audience. She was sitting down so I didn’t really see anything besides her pretty dress and all of that.
Amanda: She’s a pretty dynamic celebrity. She’s got talent and she can certainly sing, but there’s so much drama in her personal life!
Greta: I agree. It seems like there’s always a scandal going on around Rihanna.
Amanda: Always! The latest is with Justin Bieber.
Greta: Really?
Amanda: Yes, and she is robbing the cradle.
Greta: Wait, she’s not dating Justin Bieber.
Amanda: They’re not dating but they’re…you know…”hanging out.”
Greta: Oh that’s weird! I have to say the extent of my knowledge is that she’s a pop star, I know she’s had some chart toppers, but beyond that, I know she’s beautiful and she sang that “Umbrella” song, right? Is that Rihanna?
Amanda: Yes.
Amanda saw Rihanna perform on the Grammys. She thought the singer looked skinny. She’s a big fan of Rihanna’s but thinks the poor woman has too much drama in her life.
Greta isn’t as big a fan as Amanda, but likes Rihanna’s music and agrees that scandal seems to follow her, like when Chris Brown was arrested for assaulting her.
The latest news, Amanda says, is that Rihanna might be dating Justin Bieber. But even Amanda can’t keep up with all the news around Rihanna. She is back together with Chris Brown and recently said she plans to have a baby with him.
Is there a celebrity whose personal life you follow? What is your favorite song by Rihanna? Do you think she and Chris Brown can put the drama behind them?
Simple Present Tense
When Greta and Amanda say there is always a scandal around Rihanna, they are using the simple present tense to talk about regular or habitual actions.
For most verbs in the simple present tense, you must add an “s” to the end of the verb for he/she/it, as in, “Amanda loves Rihanna.” However, for some verbs, you have to add “es” for he/she/it, as in, “She watches a lot of TV,” or, “He misses his mom.”
So how do you know when “es” is necessary? One rule to remember is that any verb ending in “ch”, “sh” or “ss” needs an “es,” not “s,” for he/she/it.
For the other pronouns, i/you/we/they, regular verbs simply take the basic verb form. For example, “I play basketball,” or, “We love watching movies.”
In Greta and Amanda’s example, they use the word always to indicate that what they are describing in the simple present tense happens all the time.
Can you place the word “always” in this sentence, “When Rihanna makes a record, it is a hit”?