Hire / Rent, Rise / Raise

These words have very similar meanings.

To hire or rent something is to pay money so that you can use it for a limited period of time. Both hire and rent can be used with certain nouns. There is no difference of meaning.

You can, for example, rent or hire cars. You can also rent or hire a TV or DVD.

I rented some nice DVDs as I was planning to spend the weekend at home.

If you are planning to spend the weekend in Amsterdam, you should consider hiring a bike. It is the best way to get around the town.

With some nouns (e.g. flat, house, cottage, caravan), it is customary to use rent.

You can, for example, rent a flat, but you don’t usually hire a flat.

With some nouns, only hire is used. For example, you can only hire people. You can’t rent them.

I had so much to do on the farm, so I decided to hire someone.

The murdered girl’s parents were not at all satisfied with the way the police were investigating the case, so they decided to hire a private detective.

Rise or raise?

These verbs, too, have very similar meanings. There is an important difference, though.

Raise is a transitive verb. It should have an expressed object.

She raised her hand. (BUT NOT She raised.)

The verb rise in intransitive. It does not take an object.

She rose from her seat. (BUT NOT She raised from her seat.)

To raise somebody is to bring them up. This word is mainly used in passive structures.

He was raised by his grandmother. (= He was brought up by his grandmother.)

Both raise and rise can mean an increase in salary. Raise is used in American English. Rise is used in British English.

When are you going to give me a raise? (US)

Why don’t you ask for a rise? (GB)