'Make' or 'Do'?
It can be hard to decide when to use 'make' or 'do' in English. Here's some help.1: We use 'make' when we create or construct something. For example:
- She made a cake.
- I've made us some coffee.
- Did you really make those trousers?
- What did you do at the weekend?
- I didn't do anything yesterday.
- She's fed up with doing everything herself. She needs some help.
- Are you doing anything interesting during the holidays?
3: There are many, many fixed expressions with 'make' and 'do'. Unfortunately, they don't really follow any useful rules, so you have to learn them. Sorry!
Here's a list:
DO:
| 30 mph (miles per hour) | Many people do more than 30 mph through this town. It's very dangerous. |
| badly | She did very badly on the exam, so she'll have to retake it. |
| your best | Don't worry about getting everything correct. Just do your best. |
| business | It's been a pleasure doing business with you. |
| chores | I have to go home and do some chores this afternoon. |
| a course | John has decided to do a course in computing this autumn. |
| a crossword | She sat on the sofa, doing a crossword and drinking tea. |
| damage | The storm has done a lot of damage to the house. |
| the dishes / the washing up | I really hate doing the dishes. I'm hoping to buy a dishwasher this year. |
| a drawing | The little boy spent hours doing a drawing. |
| your duty | He has to do his duty and look after his elderly parents. |
| an exam | I have to do three exams and write a huge essay this term. |
| exercise | Julie likes doing exercise, especially running. |
| an exercise | The teacher asked us to do a lot of grammar exercises over the holidays |
| someone a favour | My friend did me a huge favour and lent me some money. |
| the gardening | David often spends Sunday afternoons doing gardening. |
| good | She helps homeless people and tries to do good. |
| you good | You should eat your vegetables. They'll do you good! |
| your hair | Allie spends ages doing her hair in the morning. |
| harm | I spilt coffee on my suit and tried to clean it, but I did more harm than good. It looks even worse now! |
| homework | Have you finished doing your homework? |
| housework | Let's do the housework quickly this morning, then we can go out for lunch. |
| the ironing | My mother listens to the radio while she does the ironing. |
| a job | I think the students did a great job with this essay. It's excellent. |
| the laundry / the washing | He did the laundry, cleaned the house, and made dinner. |
| your nails | Jenny likes to do her nails each week. |
| a painting | There was an old man sitting on the bank of the river, doing a painting. |
| paperwork | Does everybody hate doing paperwork? |
| research | I'm doing some research for my thesis at the moment. |
| the shopping | I'll do the shopping tomorrow morning. We need milk, bread, pasta and bananas. |
| time (= be in prison) | He broke into a bank, was caught by the police, and now he's doing time. |
| well | My sister is doing well in her new job. |
| work | Unfortunately, Lucy does a lot of work at the weekends. |
| your worst | I've bought all new winter clothes:– boots, a coat and a very warm hat. Weather, do your worst! |
MAKE:
| amends | I'm so sorry that I upset you. How can I make amends? |
| an appointment | She had toothache, so she made an appointment with the dentist for the following day. |
| arrangements | Okay, so we're going to go on holiday in September. Let's make some arrangements. I'll find a hotel, and you can look at flights. |
| an attempt | I know we might not catch the plane, but let's at least make an attempt to be on time. |
| believe | The children's favourite game is to make believe that they are kings and queens from long ago. |
| certain | I think the café opens at six, but let's make certain. I don't want to be standing in the street waiting! |
| a change | I've made some changes to the document. |
| a choice | Which job are you going to take? You need to make a choice. |
| a comment | My mother made a comment about my shoes. |
| a complaint | The food took so long to arrive that Julie made a complaint to the manager. |
| a confession | I'd like to make a confession. I was the one who ate the last of the chocolate. |
| a date | I'd love to see you soon. How about if we make a date for next week? |
| a decision | I've made my decision. I'm going to go back to university. |
| a difference | Going to the gym has really made a difference to how I feel. |
| a discovery | When John was last in London he made a discovery - a beautiful little café in a quiet street. |
| an effort | You're not trying hard enough! Make an effort! |
| an error | He made several errors on the report, and the boss told him to rewrite it. |
| your escape | The bank robbers took £10,000 from the safe and then made their escape. |
| an exception | Usually the children aren't allowed to watch TV but I made an exception today since the weather was so horrible. |
| an excuse | Why was Lisa late? Did she make an excuse? |
| a face | The child took a bite of the broccoli and made a face. |
| a fire | We put up our tent, made a fire, and had a hot drink. |
| a fool of yourself | You shouldn't sing in front of everyone! You'll make a fool of yourself. |
| a fortune | Lucy made a fortune when she sold her company. Now she doesn't have to work. |
| friends | She loved university and made lots of friends. |
| fun of | The children love to make fun of the teacher,– but only when she's not looking. |
| a fuss | It's okay! I'm fine, it's just a cough. Don't make a fuss! |
| an impression | Jenny certainly made an impression last night! All my friends are asking about her. |
| a joke | The interview was very tense at the beginning, but then John made a joke, and after that it was much more relaxed. |
| a journey | Because of the snow, try not to make any journeys which are not absolutely essential. |
| a list | First, I must make a list of all the things I need to do. |
| a loss | Their business made a loss the first year, but did much better after that. |
| love | The hero and the heroine made love in the film. |
| a mess | What a mess you've made! Can't you tidy up a bit? |
| a mistake | She made so many mistakes in her essay that the teacher couldn't understand it. |
| money | John made a lot of money in his twenties and was able to retire at the age of 35. |
| a move | Look how late it is! Let's make a move. |
| a noise | Please try not to make a noise when you come home, because I'll be asleep. |
| an observation | Could I make an observation? I don't think some of our customers like the new adverts. |
| an offer | She made an offer on a house. She's nervous because she'll find out today if it has been accepted, and she really wants to buy that house. |
| a payment | Hello? I'd like to make a credit card payment, please. |
| a phone call | I'm going to go outside and make a phone call. It's too noisy in here. |
| plans | David is making plans to move to Paris. |
| a point | The professor used lots of examples to make his point. |
| a prediction | The journalist made a prediction about the economy, but in the end it wasn't correct. |
| a profit | His business made a profit from the beginning. |
| progress | Finally, after being stuck in a traffic jam for an hour, we're making some progress! We'll arrive by 8pm. |
| a promise | I must study hard today. I made a promise to my mum that I wouldn't fail any more exams. |
| a remark | John was upset because the boss made a negative remark about his work. |
| a reservation | Could you call the restaurant and make a reservation for tonight? |
| a scene | Susie made a scene in the café when her order was wrong. She shouted at all the staff and demanded to speak to the manager. |
| a sound | Don't make a sound! We need to be completely quiet. |
| a speech | The bride's father often makes a speech at her wedding. |
| a suggestion | Could I make a suggestion? How about going out for dinner? |
| sure | I don't think I left the gate open, but I'm just going to go and make sure. |
| the bed | Could you please make the bed before you leave the house? Otherwise it looks so messy with the duvet and the pillows everywhere. |
| time (=find time to do something) | Everybody's busy, but you need to make time to study. Otherwise you won't be able to get a better job. |
| trouble | That employee is trying to make trouble. He is always telling the boss bad things about his colleagues. |
| a visit | I'll call you this afternoon.– I need to make a visit to my granny this morning. |
| your mind up | Do you want chocolate or strawberry ice cream? Make your mind up quickly! |
| your way | After the film, John made his way to a café, where he had two cups of coffee and some cake. |