These two verbs are used extensively in academic writing. They are closely related and while the concept of increasing is similar, they are used in different ways that can be confusing.
Which is the correct verb?
1 Due to the fact that the government raised/rose taxes, citizens had less money to spend.
2 The data shows that the number of university graduates raised/rose in 2014.
3 Public trust in the government has not raised/risen since 2012. In fact it has fallen significantly.
4 Prices may raise/rise as a result of fluctuations in the oil supply.
5 The authors hope that the research findings will raise/rise awareness of the impact of social media on the mental health of teenagers.
Raise
Raise is a transitive verb and needs an object.
Something or someone performs the action of raising something.
It is a regular verb: raise, raised, raised
Thus, the correct answers are:
1 Due to the fact that the government raised taxes, citizens had less money to spend.
5 The authors hope that the research findings will raise awareness of the impact of social media on the mental health of teenagers.
Additional examples:
Raise your hand if you know the answer.
If universities continue to raise tuition fees, it is likely that many moderate income students will be unable to pursue higher education.
Gender bias was one of the topics raised and explored at the conference. (In other words, academics and other experts raised this topic.)
Rise
Rise does not take an object as it is an intransitive verb.
Rise suggests an action caused in an indirect way or happening somewhat automatically.
It is an irregular verb: rise, rose, risen
Thus the correct answers are:
2 The data shows that the number of university graduates rose in 2014.
3 Public trust in the government has not risen since 2012. In fact it has fallen significantly.
4 Prices may rise as a result of fluctuations in the oil supply.
Additional examples:
The sun rose at 5.30 this morning.
The company raised its prices in line with increased transportation costs, and as a result prices for consumers rose.
The sizes of both single-family and multifamily homes have risen steadily in the United States over the last fifty years.
Source: Cambridge Online Dictionary
