---
title: lifeless — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «lifeless» in the school dictionary: Lifeless means dead, or never having had life. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# lifeless

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**Who acts:** Lifeless, bird, Mars, desert, many animals, voice · **What happens:** mean, not have, lie, seem, be, look · **To what, where:** life, dull energy, grass, lifeless planet, sand, more detail

<!-- .vabout -->
«lifeless» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 7 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [lifeless in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/lifeless.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Lifeless means dead, or never having had life.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:m1:1
# text = Lifeless means dead, or never having had life.
1	Lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	dead	dead	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	8	punct	_	_
5	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
6	never	never	ADV	RB	PronType=Neg	8	advmod	_	_
7	having	have	AUX	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	8	aux	_	_
8	had	have	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part	2	parataxis	_	_
9	life	life	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Lifeless |  |  |  |  | dead *property* | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **not** **have** | gerund · perfect |  | life |  |  |  |  | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent life=Patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Lifeless means with no living things, like a lifeless planet.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:m2:1
# text = Lifeless means with no living things, like a lifeless planet.
1	Lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	with	with	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
4	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	6	det	_	_
5	living	living	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	6	amod	_	_
6	things	thing	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	11	punct	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
9	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	11	det	_	_
10	lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	11	amod	_	_
11	planet	planet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | Lifeless |  |  |  |  | with no living things like a lifeless planet | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V S»: agent=Agent |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Lifeless can mean dull, without energy or excitement.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:m3:1
# text = Lifeless can mean dull, without energy or excitement.
1	Lifeless	lifeless	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	3	aux	_	_
3	mean	mean	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
4	dull	dull	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	7	punct	_	_
6	without	without	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
7	energy	energy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obj	_	_
8	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
9	excitement	excitement	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | can | Lifeless | dull energy or excitement |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent energy=Topic |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The bird lay lifeless on the grass.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:x1:1
# text = The bird lay lifeless on the grass.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	bird	bird	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	lay	lie	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	lifeless	lifeless	ADV	RBR	Degree=Cmp	3	advmod	_	_
5	on	on	ADP	IN	_	7	case	_	_
6	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
7	grass	grass	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **lie** | past | the bird |  |  | the grass |  | lifeless *property* | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent on grass=Location |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Mars seems to be a lifeless planet.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:x2:1
# text = Mars seems to be a lifeless planet.
1	Mars	Mars	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	seems	seem	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	to	to	PART	TO	_	7	mark	_	_
4	be	be	AUX	VB	VerbForm=Inf	7	cop	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	planet	planet	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **seem** | present | Mars |  |  |  |  |  | vn seem-109-1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Theme |
| 2 | **is a** | to-infinitive | Mars *not said here* | a lifeless planet |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The desert looked lifeless, but many animals hid under the sand.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:x3:1
# text = The desert looked lifeless, but many animals hid under the sand.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	desert	desert	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	looked	look	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	3	xcomp	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
6	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
7	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	animals	animal	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
9	hid	hide	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	3	conj	_	_
10	under	under	ADP	IN	_	12	case	_	_
11	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	12	det	_	_
12	sand	sand	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **look** | past | the desert |  |  |  |  | lifeless *property* | vn stimulus\_subject-30.4 «NP V ADJ»: agent=Stimulus |
| 2 | **hide** | past | many animals |  |  | the sand |  |  | vn concealment-16-1 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent under sand=Location |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Her voice was flat and lifeless.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:x4:1
# text = Her voice was flat and lifeless.
1	Her	her	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	2	nmod:poss	_	_
2	voice	voice	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
3	was	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
4	flat	flat	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
5	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	6	cc	_	_
6	lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	4	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | past | Her voice |  |  |  |  | flat *property* | tree rules |
| 2 | **be** |  | Her voice *not said here* |  |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The doll's lifeless eyes stared at me.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:x5:1
# text = The doll's lifeless eyes stared at me.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	doll	doll	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	nmod:poss	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	's	's	PART	POS	_	2	case	_	_
4	lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	eyes	eye	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	nsubj	_	_
6	stared	stare	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
7	at	at	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	me	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **stare** | past | the doll's lifeless eyes |  |  |  |  | at me | vn peer-30.3 «NP V PP.theme»: agent=Agent at i=Theme |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Add more detail so your story isn't lifeless.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:x6:1
# text = Add more detail so your story isn't lifeless.
1	Add	add	VERB	VB	Mood=Imp|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
2	more	more	ADJ	JJR	Degree=Cmp	3	amod	_	_
3	detail	detail	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	1	obj	_	_
4	so	so	SCONJ	IN	_	9	mark	_	_
5	your	your	PRON	PRP$	Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs	6	nmod:poss	_	_
6	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
7	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	cop	_	SpaceAfter=No
8	n't	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	9	advmod	_	_
9	lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	1	advcl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	1	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **add** *speech: assert* | imperative | you *not said here* | more detail |  |  |  |  | vn mix-22.1-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent detail=Patient |
| 2 | **not** **is** | present | your story |  |  |  |  | lifeless *property* | tree rules |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
He sat lifeless on the steps.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:lifeless:x7:1
# text = He sat lifeless on the steps.
1	He	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	2	nsubj	_	_
2	sat	sit	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	lifeless	lifeless	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	xcomp	_	_
4	on	on	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	steps	step	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **sit** | past | He |  |  |  |  | on the steps; lifeless *property* | vn assuming\_position-50 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Agent on step=Location |

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**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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