B1daily

Make vs Do - Daily English

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Make and do confuse almost every learner, because many languages cover both with a single verb. As a rough guide, use do for tasks, jobs and activities, especially routine or unspecified ones: you do the work, do your job, do some research, do the paperwork. Use make when you produce, create or cause a result: you make a product, make a plan, make a profit, make a decision. So at work you do a task but you make a choice about how to do it. Be careful, though: a large number of these pairings are fixed collocations that you simply have to learn, and they don't always follow the logic. We say do business, do someone a favour and do your best, but make an effort, make progress, make a mistake and make an arrangement. In professional English a few are especially worth memorising: make a decision, make an appointment, make a complaint, do business with someone, and do a deal. The most common pitfall is reaching for the word that matches your first language rather than the English collocation. When you learn a new noun, learn whether it takes make or do at the same time. Some nouns take both with a slight difference: you make a presentation (deliver it) or do a presentation (the more informal phrasing). Others take only one: make sense is correct, but do sense is not.

Let's practise. Type each answer and press Enter, I'll check it with you.

  1. I always (make/do) my homework right after school.
  2. Could you (make/do) a cup of tea for me, please?
  3. My brother is (make/do) a lot of noise while playing video games.
  4. We need to (make/do) the laundry before we go on vacation.
  5. She always (make/do) her bed as soon as she wakes up.
  6. They are (make/do) their best to finish the project on time.
  7. Can you (make/do) a reservation at the Italian restaurant?
  8. He needs to (make/do) some exercise to stay healthy.
  9. I forgot to (make/do) a list before going to the supermarket.
  10. My parents (make/do) the shopping every Saturday morning.
  11. Don't (make/do) a mess in the kitchen while cooking.
  12. She is (make/do) the dishes after dinner right now.
  13. We should (make/do) a plan for our summer holiday.
  14. He has to (make/do) a favor for his neighbor today.
  15. I need to (make/do) a phone call before the meeting starts.
  16. They always (make/do) housework together on weekends.
  17. Stop (make/do) excuses for being late every day!
  18. Could you (make/do) me a favor and hold this bag?
  19. She wants to (make/do) a delicious cake for his birthday.
  20. You must (make/do) your chores before you go out.
  21. He is (make/do) a decision about which car to buy.
  22. We are (make/do) some research for our history assignment.
  23. I must (make/do) an appointment with the dentist.
  24. They (make/do) yoga every morning to relax.
  25. It doesn't (make/do) any sense to leave so early.

Common questions

What is the basic difference between make and do?

Use do for tasks, jobs and activities, often routine: do the work, do your homework, do some research. Use make to produce, create or cause a result: make a product, make a plan, make a profit. For example, you do the analysis, then you make a recommendation based on it. Many pairings are fixed, so check each one.

Which common business expressions use make and which use do?

Make: make a decision, make an appointment, make a complaint, make an offer, make progress, make an effort, make a profit. Do: do business with a client, do a deal, do the paperwork, do your job, do market research. For instance: "We did some research, then made an offer." Learn these as fixed phrases rather than from the rule alone.

Do I make a mistake or do a mistake?

You make a mistake, never "do a mistake". This is a fixed collocation, so the produce/result logic still helps: a mistake is something you cause to happen. The same pattern gives make an error and make a decision. A useful tip: whenever you learn a noun like mistake, appointment or progress, learn the verb that goes with it at the same time.