The difffeerence between Raise vs. Rise
The verbs „raise” [reiz] and „rise” [raiz] refer to something going „up”, and both words technically mean the same thing (to move upwards), but there is a difference in how you should use each one.
The main difference between them is that
--> „raise” is a transitive verb that requires that the subject act upon an object. In other words, something raises something else. (it must have a direct object). Let’s take a closer look at the following examples:
The Boy Scouts raised money to offset the cost of their next camping trip.
I raised my hand in the meeting to ask, “Why isn’t there any bacon here?”
In the first sentence, the Boy scouts (subject) raised money (object). In the second, I (subject) raised my hand (object). Examples:
The government plans to raise the age of retirement from 65 to 67.
If you have a question, please raise your hand.
Mary raises her voice when she's angry.
--> „rise” is a intransitive verb (and does not take an object). What this means is that you use the verb „rise” when something moves upwards by itself. No external force is needed to lift it. Let’s take a closer look at the following examples:
The sun rises every morning.
I rise out of bed quickly when the smell of coffee is in the air.
In these examples, the subjects (“the sun” and “I”) move upward on their own, without the physical help of an outside force (though the smell of coffee certainly helps in its own way).
But note that there is not always a physical movement; sometimes the meaning is just „to increase”. Examples:
Hot air rises.
Jane has risen in her company very quickly and is now the managing director.
Prices are rising all the time.
When constructing your sentence, just look to see if the subject rises on its own or if it’s raising something else. This will help you determine which verb to use.
We also note that:
- „raise” is a regular verb: raise, raised, raised, raising
- „rise” is an irregular verb: rise, rose, risen, rising
To help you compare the meanings, here are some examples with „raise „and „rise” in the same sentence:
We raise the flag when the sun rises, and we lower it when the sun goes down.
Whenever our commanding officer comes in, we rise from our chairs and raise our hands in salute.
Important! There is some confusion over the NOUNS „rise” and „raise” when talking about pay or salary. In British English a (pay) rise is an increase in pay. In American English the word is (pay) raise. Examples:
Did you get a 4% pay rise last year? (BrE)
My boss said he's giving me a pay raise next month. (AmE)
Remember: raise or rise?
--> „raise” (regular, transitive). Something raises something. If you „raise” something, it means that you elevate it (you move it up or lift it to a higher level).
--> „rise” (irregular, intransitive. Something rises. If something „rises”, it means that it elevates itself (it goes up itself).
Thanks for reading
