Grammar-Quizzes › Writing Aids › Confusing Words › Rise vs. Raise
Rise vs. Raise
Who or what is rising—the subject or the object?
Rise vs. Raise
| RISE |
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Use rise for an action that a person or animal does by oneself. Rise is an intransitive verb – it does not take an object. (to ascend, go up) rise, rose, risen |
| A PERSON OR THING MOVES UP |
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The man 
The sun 
The bread dough 
He | RAISE |
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Use raise for an action that a person does to someone or something else. Raise is a transitive verb – it requires an object. (lift, increase, elevate) raise, raised, raised |
| A PERSON MOVES SOMETHING UP |
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I asked for a raise. (Eng-US) I asked for a wage rise. (Eng-Br) |
The Boy Scout 
This farmer 
My employer Related page: Intransitive verbs
A similar verb is: arise, arose, arisen
Rise
Additional Meanings
Rise
| MEANINGS | EXPRESSIONS |
|---|---|
GET OUT OF BED |
He rises at 6:00 a.m. every morning |
REACH UPWARD |
The towers of the bridge rise up 1,000 ft. |
COME INTO ACTION |
A storm is rising in the northern sky. |
OCCUR |
A quarrel arose among the two lovers. |
INCREASE ALTITUDE |
The plane rose as it approached the mountains. |
INCREASE RANK |
The rise of the middle class was easy to predict. |
PROVOKE |
They tried to get a rise out of him by insulting him. |
PRODUCE |
The Industrial Revolution gave rise to urbanization. ("give rise") |
SALARY INCREASE |
The government promised a wage rise to women who were not receiving equal and fair wages. (Eng-British) The employee asked for a rise in salary. (Eng-British) |
Raise
Additional Meanings
Michelle raises vegetables.
Raise
| MEANINGS | EXPRESSIONS |
|---|---|
FOSTER |
My grandparents raised me. |
GROW |
Mrs. Green raises roses. |
COLLECT |
The engineer raised over four million dollars for his battery-operated engine. |
INCREASE |
The landlord raised my rent. The employee asked his boss for a raise. (a wage increase) Eng-US |
OPEN |
Raise the window shades and let some light in. |
ANIMATE, IMPROVED |
The good news raised his spirits. |
ASSEMBLE |
The king had to raise an army before he could go to war. |
CAUSE TROUBLE |
He was raising Cain in the back of the bus. |
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
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He rised the hood of his car and worked on the engine. (lifted, put up) |
He rised at 4 a.m. in the morning to catch his flight home. (woke up) |
We raised up when the president came to greet us. (stood up) |
| SOLUTION |
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He raised the hood of his car and worked on the engine. |
He rose at 4 a.m. in the morning to catch his flight home. |
We rose when the president came to greet us. (stood up) |
hood (N)—metal covering of the engine of a car, Eng-US; bonnet — Eng-BR
Practice 1
Rising to the Occasion
Charles is a baker.
Rise or Raise?
Charles is a baker who has his own business located in South San Francisco. He does his baking in the early hours of the morning. He [rises, raises] at 3:00 a.m. six days a week and goes to work.
First, he makes the bread dough and sets it aside to give it time to [rise, raise]. Then, he begins his long day. His parents [rose, raised] him and taught him to work hard.
He bakes dozens of loaves of breads, cakes and rolls. The ovens [rise, raise] the room temperature, but he is used to working in a very warm kitchen.
Charles has [rising, raising] costs and demands. He has three helpers. With the increase in sales of his breads, he has had to [rise, raise] the number of employees who work for him. With the [rise, raise] in the cost of living, he has also had to offer his employees [a rise, a raise] in salary so that they can make ends meet. Also, He has to pay his suppliers who buy directly from farmers who [rise, raise] and mill wheat for his bread flour.
Because his business is increasing so fast, It is easy for him [rise, raise] money from investors. His name has been [rising, raising], in the world of successful baker-businessmen.
demand (N) – asking for something
investors (N) – businessmen or institutions who are willing to loan money in return for some of the profit (gains)
make ends meet (expression) – pay their bills
mill (V) – grind wheat into flour
rise to the occasion (expression) – find courage or bravery to do what is needed for a particular challenge
salary (N) – money given to an employee for his or her work
Complete the sentence.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
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