If I Only Had a Brain

If I Only Had a Brain Lesson

IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN (The Scarecrow’s Song)
from the movie “THE WIZARD OF OZ”
lyrics by E.H. Harburg music by Harold Arlen

(Scarecrow)
I could wile away the hours
Conferrin' with the flowers [I could be conferring . . .
Consultin' with the rain [I could be consulting . . .
And my head I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain

I'd unravel any riddle
For any individ'le [individual]
In trouble or in pain

(Dorothy)
With the thoughts you'd be thinkin'
You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain

(Scarecrow)
Oh, I would tell you why
The ocean's near the shore
I could think of things I [‘d] never thunk before [had thought]
And then I'd sit and think some more

I would not be just a nuffin' [bad pronunciation of “nothing ”]
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain
I would dance and be merry
Life would be a ding-a-derry [a made-up word to rhyme with “merry “]
If I only had a brain









CONDITIONAL verbs start with an IF clause
IF I HAD A BRAIN . . . I WOULD/COULD . . .

1. How many verbs can you find that use conditional progressive
WOULD BE + ING telling what the scarecrow would be doing right now if he had a brain?
Write the subjects and the WOULD/COULD BE + ING verbs right now!
a. _______________ ________________________________________
b. _______________ ________________________________________
c. _______________ ________________________________________
d. _______________ ________________________________________
e. _______________ ________________________________________

Now, you write a sentence using an IF clause + PAST TENSE,
followed by a WOULD BE + ING verb telling me what you would be doing right now if YOU HAD something.

If I had ________________, I would/could be _____ing_____________________

2. How many verbs can you find that are conditional
WOULD/COULD + BASE VERB
Write the subjects and the WOULD/COULD + BASE VERB
a. _______________ ________________________________________
b. _______________ ________________________________________
c. _______________ ________________________________________
d. _______________ ________________________________________
e. _______________ ________________________________________
f. _______________ ________________________________________
g. _______________ ________________________________________
h. _______________ ________________________________________

Now, you write a sentence using an IF clause + past tense followed by WOULD + BASE VERB.

If I had ___________________, I would __________________________

3. Find one present tense verb __________________________

4. Find all the rhymes.
a. hours rhymes with ____________________
b. rain rhymes with ____________ and _____________ and _____________
c. scratchin’ rhymes with ____________________
d. riddle sort of rhymes with ____________________
e. thinkin’ rhymes with ____________________
f. why rhymes with ____________________
g. shore rhymes with ____________________ and ____________________
h. stuffin rhymes with ____________________
i. merry rhymes with ____________________

4. What phrase in the song means I could spend my time ?
___________________________________________________
5. What verb means to talk with someone ? _____________________________________
6. What verb means to talk with and get information from someone? _____________________________________
7. What word means a question that you must think about and the answer is like a joke? _____________________________

Here’s an example of a riddle:
What is black and white and red all over?
The answer is the NEWSPAPER. It is black and white and READ all over.
HA HA HA
Here’s another riddle:
What animal can travel at a moment’s notice?
The answer: an ELEPHANT because he always carries his TRUNK with him.
Do you know any riddles?

8. Who was Abraham Lincoln? _______________________________________

Callifornia Here I Come

California Here I Come Lesson

California Here I Come
Words & Music by Al Jolson, Bud De Sylva, and Joseph Meyer
Recorded by Al Jolson, 1946

When the wintry wind starts blowing
And the snow is starting in the fall,
Then my eyes went westward knowing
That's the place that I love best of all.
California, I’ve been blue
Since I’ve been away from you.
I can't wait 'till I get going.
Even now I'm starting in to call. . .


D D+ G
California, here I come.

A A7+5 D
Right back where I started from.

D Fdim Edim A7
Where bowers of flowers bloom in the spring.

D Fdim
Each morning at dawning,

Edim A7
Birdies sing an' everything.

D D+ G
A sun-kissed miss said, "Don't be late."

A A7+5 D
That's why I can hardly wait.

G Gm B7 E7
Open up that Golden Gate,

G A7 A7+5 D
California here I come.


1. What times of year make the singer think of California. (Make a check √.)
___summer ___fall ___winter ____spring

2. When the singer leaves California, what lines in the song tells us he misses California? _____________________________________________________________________

3. What does “blue” mean in the line “I’ve been blue.”


4. What season of the year is the singer’s favorite in California? (Make a check √.)
___summer ___fall ___winter ____spring

5. What is a sun-kissed miss? ___________________________________________________________________

6. What are the rhymes in the song?

a. blowing rhymes with ____________ and ________________

b. fall rhymes with ____________ and ________________

c. blue rhymes with ___________

d. come rhymes with ___________

e. bowers rhymes with ___________

f. spring rhymes with ___________ and _______________

g. late rhymes with ___________ and ________________

h. sun-kissed rhymes with ________________

i. morning sort of rhymes with ______________


7. Tell me something you can hardly wait to do. Write your own sentence.
example: I am so hungry I can hardly wait to eat lunch.
It’s been a long time, so she can hardly wait to see her boyfriend.

________________________________________________________________

Stand By Me

Stand By Me Lesson

STAND BY ME by Ben E. King

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see.
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me.

And darlin', darlin', stand by me,
oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me.

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea,
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah.

Whenever you're in trouble, won't you stand by me?
oh now now stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me.

Darlin', darlin', stand by me-e, stand by me.
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me.


1. What is a synonym for “tumble” ? __________________

2. What word means “to break up into little pieces”? _______________

3. What does “to shed a tear” mean? ______________________

4. What phrase means “ Be my friend when I am in trouble and need someone.” _________________________________________





5. Find all the verbs and their subjects.
Then make a check next to the future tense verbs.
a. ______________ _______________
b. ______________ _______________
c. ______________ _______________
d. ______________ _______________
e. ______________ _______________
f. ______________ _______________
g. ______________ _______________
h. ______________ _______________
i. ______________ _______________
j. ______________ _______________
k. ______________ _______________
l. ______________ _______________

6. Now, can you use WILL + BE in a sentence?
a.
Write your own sentence using WILL + base form of any verb.
b. ___________________________________________________________________

7. Can you use WON’T + BE in a sentence?
a._____________________________________________________________________

Can you use WON’T + base form of any verb in a sentence.
b.

8. If in the present tense (dependent clause), WILL in the main clause.

examples:
If I study hard, I will learn English.
If my friend studies hard and gets good grades, she will go to the university.
a. What is the IF clause in the song?
_____________________________________________________________

b. Can you write a sentence using IF + present tense, and WILL + base form in the main clause.



Gati©2008

An Irish Lullaby

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