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raise children — bring up kids

collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon

To care for and guide children as they grow up, teaching them how to behave and helping them become adults.

Say it like a native

Textbook She undertook the rearing of three children.

Native She raised three kids.

'Undertook the rearing of' is archaic; 'raise kids' is normal.

Pattern: raise + children/kids/family

In use

  • It's not easy to raise children on your own, but many single parents do it every day.family
  • In my opinion, it is important for both parents to share the responsibility when they raise children, as it helps create a balanced family environment.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ It's hard to grow up children.

✓ It's hard to raise children.

You RAISE children; 'grow up' is what children do themselves.

Common collocations

  • raise children — raise children, raise kids, bring up children, raise them well

Don't confuse it

'Raise children' means to look after and teach children as they grow. It does not mean to physically lift them up.

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