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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 
Bread dough¹ 
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 – and means to lift, increase, or 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
¹Dough "rises" on its own, but the baker "raises" the dough with yeast. Also the product may be described as "raised", for example, My husband bought a raised (Adj) doughnut. ; Dough is raised (passive) with yeast. "leavened". This term may differ among indivduals in the profession of baking.
raised (Adj) – leavened by yeast rather than baking powder or baking soda., Bread Raised Without Gluten (label on package of bread) [participial adj]
In British English one raises a crop, but rears children. (Fowler rise, raise)
A similar verb is: arise, arose, arisen
Rise
Additional Meanings
Rise
| MEANINGS | EXPRESSIONS |
|---|---|
RISE – move upward |
Rise as a predicate (verb) is usually complemented by a prepositional phrase. [V + PP] |
GET OUT OF BED |
He rises at 6:00 a.m. every morning. [V + PP] |
REACH UPWARD |
The towers of the bridge rise up 1,000 ft. [V + PP] |
COME INTO ACTION, FORM |
A storm is rising in the northern sky. [V + PP] |
OCCUR |
A quarrel arose among the two lovers. [V + PP] |
INCREASE ALTITUDE |
The plane rose as it approached the mountains. [V + PP] |
INCREASE RANK (N) |
The rise of the middle class was easy to predict. [Subj. – NP + PP] |
GET A RESPONSE (N) |
They tried to get a rise out of him by insulting him. [Obj. – NP + PP] |
INITIATION, INCREASE (N) |
The Industrial Revolution gave rise to urbanization. [Obj. – NP + PP] |
SALARY INCREASE (N) |
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) |
Word Categories: N – Noun; V – Verb; Aux – Auxiliary; Adj – Adjective; Adv – Adverb; P –Preposition; Det –Determiner.
Phrasal Categories: NP – Noun Phrase; VP – Verb Phrase; AdjP – Adjective Phrase; AdvP – Adverb Phrase; PP – Prepositional Phrase; DP – Determinative Phrase.
Raise
Additional Meanings
Raise
| MEANINGS | EXPRESSIONS |
|---|---|
RAISE |
Raise as a predicate (verb) is complemented by an object (noun phrase). Raise as a noun is countable but usually singular. |
FOSTER |
My grandparents raised me. [V + NP] |
GROW |
Mrs. Green raises roses. [V + NP] |
COLLECT |
The engineer raised over four million dollars for his battery-operated engine. [V + NP] |
INCREASE (V) |
The landlord will raise my rent. [V + NP] |
A WAGE INCREASE (N) |
He is asking his boss for a raise. He would like a raise. (Eng-US) [P + NP] |
OPEN |
Raise the window shades and let some light in. [V + NP] |
ANIMATE, IMPROVED |
The good news will raise his spirits. [V + NP] |
ASSEMBLE |
The king had to raise an army before he could go to war. [V + NP] |
CAUSE TROUBLE |
He was raising Cain in the back of the bus. [V + NP] |
Rise and Raise
Review other word forms
Noun, Verb, and Modifier Forms
| RISE |
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Rise occurs as a verb, a noun, a gerund-participle, an infinitive and a modifier (participial adjective.) |
| NOUN |
I asked for a wage rise. (Br-Eng) |
| PRIMARY VERB |
The cost of living rose last year. (Can be marked for tense; see Primary Verbs.) |
| SECONDARY VERB FORMS |
Jack dislikes rising early in the morning. [ger.] He prefers to rise when the sun is up. [inf.] Jack *risen earlier than usual felt groggy, [past part.] (Has Secondary Verb forms: gerund-participle, infinitive) |
| ADJECTIVE / MODIFIER / PRESENT PARTICIPLE |
Rising interest rates cause financial anxiety. The rising tide flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice. Rising temperatures over time indicate climate change. *Rised interest rates cause financial anxiety. (Can modify a noun. Note that "rising" expresses an ongoing situation. See Participial Adjectives 2) |
| ADVERB / MODIFIER |
——— (not used) |
| RAISE |
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Raise occurs mostly as a verb, but also occurs in other forms, especially in expressions. |
| NOUN |
The *raise of interest rates by the Feds caused hardship. I asked for a raise. (US-Eng) (increase in salary) |
| PRIMARY VERB |
The cost of living raised his feelings of anxiety. (Can be marked for tense, is transitive, accepts an object) |
| SECONDARY VERB FORMS |
The Federal Bank board members dislike raising rates. [ger.] The Feds dislike having to raise rates. [inf.] The rates (that were) raised higher upset the public. [past part.] (Has Secondary Verb forms: gerund, infinitive, past participle) |
| ADJECTIVE / MODIFIER / PAST PARTICIPLE |
*Raised interest rates cause financial anxiety. (Use higher) Garden-raised vegetables are delicious. ("cultivated") The raised money went into the educational fund. ("collected") Raised doughnuts smell wonderful. ("made with yeast") Raised children are a joy. ("grown") ¹Raising children can be stressful. ("caring for", "bringing up") [¹gerund] |
| ADVERB / MODIFIER |
——— (not used) |
*not used
anxiety (N) – emotional stress, concern
interest rates (N) – the amount that a bank charges someone when they borrow money from the bank
The Fed – The Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States. The Feds refers to its board members.
Nouns Ending in -ING | Verbs with Gerund Complements | Verbs with Infinitive Complements | Participial Adjectives 2
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
Works Cited
- Burchfield and H. W. Fowler. "Rise, Raise." Fowler's Modern English Usage. Edited by R. W. , revised 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2004.
- Garner, Bryan A. "Rise B. Raise" Garner's Modern American Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2009. p. 691.
- Swan, Michael. "Verbs that are easily confused" Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005. §304.2.
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.
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