He had a dream.

Meaning: This sentence tells us that someone who is male had a thought or sequence of thoughts while sleeping.

Choice of Words: He is a subject pronoun that refers to a male person. Had is the past tense of the verb "to have". A is an indefinite article that means one. Dream is a noun that refers to a sequence of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.

Alternative Expressions

The boy dreamt.

Meaning: This means that the young male child saw a sequence of thoughts, images, and sensations in his mind while he was sleeping.

Choice of Words: Boy is a noun that refers to a young male child. Dreamt is the past tense of the verb dream, which means to have a sequence of thoughts, images, and sensations occur in the mind during sleep. When you put them together, "The boy dreamt" means that the young male child experienced a dream while sleeping.

He saw images in his mind while he slept.

Meaning: This means that he had a dream while he was sleeping.

Choice of Words: Saw is a verb that means to perceive with the eyes. Images are visual representations of something. Mind is the part of a person that thinks, feels, and remembers. Slept is the past tense of the verb sleep, which means to be in a state of rest with the eyes closed. When you put them together, "He saw images in his mind while he slept" means that he perceived visual representations of something in his mind while he was in a state of rest with his eyes closed.

Related Expressions