Do or Make: Which is it?
Master the difference between these tricky verbs for activities, duties, creating, and communicating.
- check_circleI can correctly choose 'do' for activities and duties.
- check_circleI can correctly choose 'make' for creating, producing, and communicating.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Sarah: Hey, did you do the laundry yet? I have nothing to wear for the meeting!
Mark: No, sorry. I was busy trying to make some phone calls to our suppliers. I can do it right now.
Sarah: Please do. Oh, and did you make a decision about the new software we tested?
Mark: Yes, I think we should buy it. It will help us do business much faster. I’ll make an arrangement with them today.
Sarah: Great. By the way, I need to do a presentation tomorrow. Can you do me a favor and look at my slides? I don’t want to make a bad impression.
Mark: Sure thing. Just give me ten minutes to finish this report. I don’t want to make a mistake because I’m rushing.
Sarah: Thanks! Let’s make an effort to finish everything early today so we can go out for dinner.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
The verbs do and make are frequently confused because they translate to the same word in many languages. However, in English, they have distinct uses.
When to use “Do”
We generally use do for actions, obligations, and repetitive tasks. It focuses on the process of performing an activity rather than the final product.
1. Work, Jobs, and Tasks
Use do for duties or tasks that don’t produce a physical object.
- I need to do my homework before dinner.
- Who is going to do the dishes tonight?
- She does a lot of work for charity.
2. Non-specific Activities
Use do with words like something, nothing, anything, or everything.
- Don’t just stand there, do something!
- I didn’t do anything wrong.
When talking about studying or taking a test, we say do a course or do an exam (though “take an exam” is also common).
When to use “Make”
We generally use make for creating, producing, or building something new. It focuses on the product or the outcome of an action.
1. Producing and Creating
Use make when you create something that wasn’t there before.
- Let’s make a cake for her birthday.
- They make furniture out of recycled wood.
2. Communication and Decisions
Use make for producing sounds, speech, or choices.
- Please don’t make so much noise.
- I need to make a proposal for the new project.
- It’s time to make a decision.
Common mistakes
Spanish speakers often say “I do a mistake” or “make a question”.
Remember:
- We make a mistake.
- We ask a question.
Advanced Collocations
Sometimes, the choice between do and make isn’t obvious. Memorizing these common collocations will help you sound more natural.
Collocations with Do:
- do business: “We do business with several international companies.”
- do a favor: “Could you do me a favor?”
- do your best: “Don’t worry about the score, just do your best.”
Collocations with Make:
- make an effort: “You need to make an effort to arrive on time.”
- make progress: “She is making excellent progress in her studies.”
- make an exception: “We don’t usually allow this, but we’ll make an exception.”
- DO: Actions, obligations, tasks, non-specific activities (do homework, do nothing, do your best).
- MAKE: Creating, producing, communicating, deciding (make dinner, make a mistake, make an effort).
- Focus on the process = DO. Focus on the product = MAKE.
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?