What’s the past tense of “rise”?
The verb and action rise (simple present tense), refers to the action of, “to assume an upright position especially from lying, kneeling, or sitting”, as stated by Merriam-Webster. Also, “to get up from sleep or from one’s bed.”
| Tense | Examples: forms of “rise” used in sentences |
| present | The sun rises in the east. |
| past | Air bubbles rose to the surface of water. |
| past participle form | She has risen to a position of great responsibility. |
Verb forms of “rise”
| present | past | future | |
| simple | I rise | I rose | I will rise |
| continuous | I am rising | I was rising | I will be rising |
| perfect | I have risen | I had risen | I will have risen |
| perfect continuous | I have been rising | I had been rising | I will have been rising |
When to use “rose” vs. “risen”
Past tense: The mountain peaks rose to the west.
Present perfect tense: Air pollution has risen above an acceptable level.
The participle form of a verb, which is shown in the second sentence, uses the auxiliary verb has in the present simple third-person singular. When the past participle verb form is paired with the auxiliary has, this creates the present perfect tense. We write in the present perfect tense when actions or events from the past relate to the present, as is evidenced with the example sentence ‘air pollution has risen above an unacceptable level‘.
The simple past tense does not use a helper verb (or auxiliary verb) since the simple past is a whole tense and verb, which can standalone in a sentence as a verb. Participles, on the other hand, do not; as is showcased from the use of a form of was or have with the participle forms of verbs (bitten, written, frozen, etc.).
Why is the past tense of rise rose/risen?
The verb, to rise, while irregular in English (since it doesn’t end in –ed in either of its past forms), shows clear patterns of the Germanic ablaut: rise, rose, and risen. The ablaut, which sounds like ab-lowt, refers to the change certain verbs demonstrate in their past verb forms. Many verbs in English are originally Germanic, and show the Germanic ablaut pattern their verb forms: bite, bit, bitten; write, wrote, written; and ride, rode, ridden all demonstrate the same pattern as rise/rose/risen.
| base verb | past tense | past participle |
| rise | rose | risen |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| write | wrote | written |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| ride | rode | ridden |
The more technical definition of the ablaut is understood as the, “systematic vowel alteration in the root of a word to indicate shades of meaning or tense”, from Etymonline. The word ablaut in its original German is literally “off-sound”. Since the verb rise has 3 forms altogether, it’s part of the irregular class of verbs with three forms:
“Rise”, present tense, used in sentences
1. Pensions will rise in line with inflation.
2. The flood waters were rising fast.
3. Interest rates are expected to rise from 4.5 per cent to 5 per cent in the next six months.
4. The sun rises in the east.
5. We are seeing a rising tide of online crime.
Examples of the word rose used in sentences
1. Bubbles rose to the surface of water.
2. These are the officers who rose from the ranks.
3. The mountain peaks rose to the west.
4. My anger rose as I thought about the insult.
5. The audience rose to her verve and wit.
Examples of the word risen used in sentences
1. The people have risen up in protest of the new law.
2. The shares have risen in value.
3. The river has risen by several metres.
4. She has risen to a position of great responsibility.
5. Air pollution has risen above an acceptable level.
Origin of the verb ride
From etymology online on rise (v.):
Middle English risen, from Old English risan “to rise from sleep, get out of bed; stand up, rise to one’s feet; get up from table; rise together; be fit, be proper”
Synonyms of rise
- ascent
- elevation
- advancement
- increase
Idioms with rise
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| To rise to the occasion | To live up to what’s expected, or fulfill your responsibility. |
| To rise through the ranks | To move up in a position in a company or organization quickly. |
| The cream always rises to the top | (the person with the most skill/talent/merit will outperform the rest) |
| A rising tide raises all ships/lifts all boats | We all gain/benefit from each other’s success! This idiom is a personal favourite at Grammarflex! |
| Be up/rise with the lark | To be out of bed at sunrise. |
| Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise | Maintain a good sleep schedule. |
| Rise from the ashes | To appear from nowhere; as if from the dead. |
| To make someone’s hackles rise | To seriously annoy someone. |
| Rise and shine! | A way of saying good morning. |
| Think the sun rises and sets (on someone) | To think that person is the most wonderful, greatest person there ever was. |
Other commonly confused verb tenses
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- What’s the past tense of drive?
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Learn more about verbs
Sources
- Wikipedia. 2023. “Indo-European ablaut.” Wikimedia Foundation. Last modified January 10, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-European_ablaut.
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of rise.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/rise. Accessed 16 January, 2023.
- “Rise.” TheFreeDictionary.com. 2023. Farlex, Inc. 16 Jan. 2023 https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/rise
