(a)wake and (a)waken

Use

Wake is the most common of these four verbs. It can mean ‘stop sleeping’ or ‘make (somebody else) stop sleeping’. It is often followed by up, especially when it means ‘stop sleeping’.

• I woke up three times in the night.
• Wake up! It’s time to go to work. (not Wake! …)
• Could you wake me (up) at half past six?

Waken is a more literary alternative to wake (up).

• The princess did not waken for a hundred years.
• Then the prince wakened her with a kiss.

Awake and awaken are also rather literary words. They are most often used to talk about the waking of emotions, understanding, etc.

• I slowly awoke to the danger that threatened me.
• At first I paid little attention, but slowly my interest awoke.
• The sound of the church clock awakened a half-buried memory.

awake and asleep (adjectives)

In informal British English the adjectives awake and asleep are more common in predicative position (after be) than the verb forms waking and sleeping.

• Is the baby awake yet?
• Everyone was asleep when I got home.