Thien writes:
I’d like to know the difference between road and street; home and house; and raise and rise.
A street is usually in a city or town, with houses on both sides. A road is usually in the country, between towns. But we often mix the two words. I live on a street in North Vancouver, but it's called Cove Cliff Road. And in England, a long road across the country is called Watling Street. It was first built by the Romans, two thousand year ago.
A home is a house or property that you live in. It may be an apartment in a big building, or a house for just one family, or a farm surrounded by big fields. But you think you belong in that place. In North America, children often grow up and move away from their parents. But they often think of their parents' house as "home." The American poet Robert Frost once wrote: "Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in."
A house is any building intended for one or two families. A "detached" house stands by itself, with land around it. A "semi-detached" house is one building shared by two families, with separate doors and living space.
"Raise" and "rise" are interesting. "Raise" is a transitive verb: We must do something to lift an object or person. We raise the flag when we pull it to the top of the flagpole. We raise our children by taking care of them until they are grown up. We raise an issue when we mention it in a meeting.
"Rise" is an intransitive verb: Something goes up all by itself. If we make bread dough, the dough will rise until it is very big. The sun rises above the eastern horizon. When we get up in the morning, we rise from our bed.
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