Put all the verbs in brac ts into simple passive. a stradivarius violin (sell) yesterday at christie's for £902,000, the highest price ever paid for a strad. the violin, owned by the mendelsohn family, (make) in 1720, and, because of its colour, it (know) as the 'red strad'. it (buy) by a professional musician. in its years in the mendelssohn family, it (play) very little, except by amateurs, but its beautiful tones (demonstrate) by a japanese violinist before the auction (vente aux enchères) yesterday. 'it (be) in a very good condition because it (keep) in a special case', (say) yoshito ito. 'it (look) after very well.' the violin (reach) such a high price because of its date of 1720 (the height of stradivari's golden age), when his finest instruments (make). strads (admire) all over the world for their purity and deep, clear sound.