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? _______________________________________