raise your hand

Meaning

This phrase means to lift your hand up in the air to get the teacher's attention. It is used in classrooms to show that you want to ask a question, answer a question, or speak. It is a polite and standard classroom rule.

Examples

• If you know the answer to the question, please raise your hand.

  If you know the answer to the question, please raise your hand.

• You don't need to shout; just raise your hand and wait for me to call on you.

  You don't need to shout; just raise your hand and wait for me to call on you.

• She raised her hand to ask if she could go to the restroom.

  She raised her hand to ask if she could go to the restroom.

• During the lecture, please raise your hand before speaking.

  During the lecture, please raise your hand before speaking.

• Nobody raised their hand when the professor asked for a volunteer.

  Nobody raised their hand when the professor asked for a volunteer.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Please rise your hand if you have a question.

  ✓ Please raise your hand if you have a question.

  Learners often confuse 'rise' (which is intransitive and means to move upward by itself) with 'raise' (which is transitive and requires an object, like 'your hand').

• ✗ He raised up his hand to speak.

  ✓ He raised his hand to speak.

  Adding 'up' is redundant because 'raise' already means to lift upward. Simply say 'raise your hand'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If you want to speak in class, you should ___.

  💡 Lift your hand up to get the teacher's attention.

  Show answer

  raise your hand

• Please ___ if you need an extra pencil.

  💡 Put your hand up in the air.

  Show answer

  raise your hand