Put up your hand/hands?

[thincat]

Hi,

If a teacher says "Boys and girls, please put up your hands!", will you think that the teacher is telling everyone in the class to put up both hands?

Can the teacher just say "put up your hand" to the whole class?

[Barb_D]

I can't picture what you mean. "Put up your hands" sounds like a command from a robber to the person he's mugging.

Boys and girls, if you have a question, raise your hand. Don't just shout it out. -- Each person who has a question would raise one hand.

Boys and girls, we're going to get our blood flowing. Okay, everybody stand up. Right - now put your hands up in the air. (or: Raise your arms up over your head)

[BobK]

Hi,

If a teacher says "Boys and girls, please put up your hands!", will you think that the teacher is telling everyone in the class to put up both hands? No, but most teachers would say something like 'If you know the answer, put up your hand.' Can the teacher just say "put up your hand" to the whole class? It would be understood, but it's not right.

b

[5jj]

In the secondary schools in which I taught, "(Don't call out;) put your hands up" was not an uncommon alternative to "... put your hand up". It was normally understood to mean that those addressed should raise one hand.

We tell children to take their coats off, wipe their noses, etc. It's true that each child normally has only one hat/nose, but two hands. However, in the classroom context, all know that the way to indicate willingness to answer a question is to raise one hand per person.

[Barb_D]

Do you use "raise your hand" more than "put up your hand" in the UK? I would suggest, based on memory, that "raise" is used 10 times more often than "put up" here.

[5jj]

Do you use "raise your hand" more than "put up your hand" in the UK? I would suggest, based on memory, that "raise" is used 10 times more often than "put up" here.

My memory is that teachers who tell children that they can leave the room but may not are more likely to use 'raise'. Lesser mortals are happy with 'put up'.