+Example.+—All his friends laughed at him = He was laughed at (ridiculed) by all his friends.
+Remark.+—-Was laughed at may be treated as one verb. Some grammarians, however, would call at an adverb. The intransitive verb and preposition are together equivalent to a transitive verb in the passive voice.
+Direction.+—Change the voice of the following verbs:—
27. This artful fellow has imposed upon us all. 28. The speaker did not even touch upon this topic. 29. He dropped the matter there, and did not refer to it afterward.
+Remark.+—The following sentences present a peculiar idiomatic construction. A transitive verb which, in the active voice, is followed by an object complement and a prepositional phrase, takes, in the passive, the principal word of the phrase for its subject, retaining the complement and the preposition to complete its meaning; as, They took care of it, It was taken care of.
+Direction.+—Put the following sentences into several different forms, and determine which is the best:—
30. His original purpose was lost sight of (forgotten). [Footnote: Some
would parse of as an adverb relating to was lost, and sight as a
noun used adverbially to modify was lost; others would treat sight
as an object [complement] of was lost; others would call was lost
sight of a compound verb; and others, believing that the logical
relation of these words is not lost by a change of position, analyze
the expression as if arranged thus: Sight of his original purpose was
lost.]
31. Such talents should be made much of.
32. He was taken care of by his friends.
33. Some of his characters have been found fault with as insipid.
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