Once, there lived a happy clown.

Meaning: This sentence introduces the main character of the story, a happy clown, and establishes the setting as a time in the past.

Choice of Words: Once is used to indicate a time in the past that is not specified. Lived is the past tense of live, which means to exist or reside in a particular place. Happy means feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. Clown is a person who performs in a circus or other entertainment, typically wearing a comical costume and makeup. When you put them together, "Once, there lived a happy clown" sets the scene for a story about a clown who was happy.

Alternative Expressions

There was once a happy clown.

Meaning: This means the same as the first example. It's another way to say that there was a clown who was happy and living in a place at one time in the past.

Choice of Words: There is a word that indicates a location or place. Was is a verb that is used to describe something that existed in the past. Once is a word used to describe a time in the past that happened only one time. A is an article that is used before a noun to indicate that the noun is singular. Happy is an adjective that describes the clown as feeling joy or pleasure. Clown is a noun that refers to a person who wears funny clothes and makeup to entertain people. When you put them together, "There was once a happy clown" tells us about a time in the past when there was a clown who was happy.

A happy clown once lived there.

Meaning: This means the same as the first two examples. It's another way to say that there was a clown who was happy and living in a place at one time in the past.

Choice of Words: A is an article that is used before a noun to indicate that the noun is singular. Happy is an adjective that describes the clown as feeling joy or pleasure. Clown is a noun that refers to a person who wears funny clothes and makeup to entertain people. Once is a word used to describe a time in the past that happened only one time. Lived is a verb that means to be alive and exist in a place. There is a word that indicates a location or place. When you put them together, "A happy clown once lived there" tells us about a time in the past when there was a clown who was happy and living in a place.

Related Expressions