English learners often have a hard time with the words make and do. What is the difference between them, and where are these two words used?
Do is a general action verb. It usually refers to work, chores, and common activities.
Make usually refers to creating or constructing something. It is more focused on the result of the action.
However, there are so many idioms and fixed phrases with make and do that it might be helpful just to memorize phrases in which they appear.
Do – Work and Chores
Do a job |
Please don’t bother me, I’m trying to do my job. |
Do some work |
I think I’ll do some work this afternoon. |
Do business |
My company has just started doing business in China. |
Do the dishes |
Will you do the dishes if I cook? |
Do the laundry |
I have to do the laundry tonight. |
Do chores |
My brother helps me do the chores. |
Do the shopping |
I’ll do the shopping this morning while I’m out. |
Do homework |
Make sure to do your homework instead of playing video games all night! |
Do research |
Justin is at the library, doing research for his history paper. |
Do – Personal Care
Do exercise |
I should do more exercise. |
Do yoga |
Jamie has been doing yoga for five years. |
Do meditation |
I try to do a half-hour of meditation in the morning. |
Do (a specifc exercise) |
I did ten push-ups and ten chin-ups this morning. |
Do your nails |
I am going to do my nails before I go out tonight. |
Do your hair |
You look great! Who does your hair? |
Do – Activities in General
Do something |
Lucy is going to do something for her birthday, but she hasn’t decided what yet. |
Do nothing |
I can’t just wait around and do nothing while my dog is lost! |
Do anything |
Did you do anything special last weekend? |
Do everything |
I want to do everything on my trip to Peru—see the rainforest, go to the beach, see historic sights, and climb to Machu Picchu. |
Do – Talking about Good or Bad Actions
Do your best |
Don’t worry, just do your best. |
Do the best you can |
Don’t worry, do the best you can. |
Do well |
She did really well on the SATs. |
Do badly |
I think I’m going to do badly in this class. |
Do okay |
I did okay at the chess tournament, but I didn’t win the last round. |
Do the right thing |
If you find someone’s wallet, do the right thing and turn it in to the police. |
Do better |
If I keep practicing, I’ll do better next time. |
Do – Other Common Phrases
Do damage |
The storm did some damage to our roof. |
Do a favor |
Can you do me a favor? |
Do a crossword (or another puzzle) |
She does a crossword puzzle every day on her commute to work. |
Do harm |
Doctors take an oath, swearing to “do no harm.” |
Do your duty |
He became a soldier because he thought he should do his duty to his country. |
Do a drawing/painting |
The boy did a drawing with the new crayons his mother gave him. |
Do time (be in prison) |
I did time in San Quentin State Prison. |
Make – Food
Make breakfast/lunch/dinner |
I usually make dinner around 6:00 pm. |
Make coffee/tea |
My wife makes the coffee in the morning. |
Make (a particular dish) |
Did you make this pasta sauce yourself? It’s delicious! |
Make – Money
Make money |
I need to make money this summer, so I can’t go to school full time. |
Make a fortune |
He made a fortune by investing in technology. |
Make a living |
She makes a living as a research scientist. |
Make a profit |
The business should be making a profit within a year. |
Make $___ |
The teenager makes $15 dollars an hour babysitting. |
Make an offer |
The buyers made an offer on our house, and we accepted it. |
Make – Relationships
Make Friends |
He’s very funny, and makes friends quickly. |
Make Love (have sex) |
The couple made love in the bedroom. |
Make out (kiss for an extended period of time) |
The teenage couple made out in the back row of the movie theatre. |
Make up (resolve a disagreement) |
My brother and I got into a fight, but we both apologized and made up quickly. |
Make – Produce a Reaction
Make you cry |
Romantic movies always make me cry. |
Make you sleepy |
Does reading make you sleepy? |
Make you happy |
The surprise party made Sue really happy. |
Make you mad |
I’m sorry I made you mad. |
Make – Communication
Make a phone call |
I have to go; I need to make a phone call. |
Make an observation |
He made some good observations about why the movie wasn’t interesting. |
Make a comment |
If you’d like to make a comment, there will be some time for discussion after the presentation. |
Make a speech |
The best man made a funny speech about the groom at the wedding. |
Make an excuse |
He’s be late like always, and he’ll make some excuse. |
Make a suggestion |
If you’ll let me make a suggestion – try breaking the eggs before you add them to the cake batter. |
Make a fuss (demonstrate annoyance, or do something unwanted) |
I don’t want my mom to make a fuss over my birthday this year.
The toddler will make a fuss if you tell her she has to take a nap. |
Make a point |
Okay, you’ve made your point. I agree with you. |
Make a bet |
Do you want to make a bet on who will win the game? |
Make fun of (mock) |
He’s different, so the other kids make fun of him. |
Make a scene (throw a tantrum in public) |
He broke up with her at a restaurant, hoping that she wouldn’t make a scene in public. |
Make a promise |
If she made a promise, you can believe she will keep it. |
Make – Other phrases
Make a decision |
Hurry up and make a decision about where to go to dinner. |
Make up your mind |
I haven’t made up my mind about which car to buy. |
Make plans |
Let’s make plans about what to do next weekend. |
Make a list |
I always make a grocery list before I go to the store. |
Make a reservation |
Michelle made reservations for two at a fancy restaurant. |
Make an appointment |
Please make a doctor’s appointment soon. |
Make a difference |
I always recycle, and I hope that makes a difference to the environment. |
Make an effort |
You would improve if you would just make an effort. |
Make sure |
Lisa went upstairs to make sure she had turned off the lights. |
Make certain |
Can you tell me your birthday again? I think I know it, but I want to make certain. |
Make progress |
Marco has been making progress in his English studies. |
Make a mistake |
Jessica made a mistake and put salt in the cake instead of sugar. |
Make your way |
After you get to the stoplight, turn left and make your way down Ash St. |
Make a mess |
Please don’t make a mess in the kitchen. |
Make the bed |
Do you always make your bed in the morning? |
Make noise |
Children make so much noise when they play. |
Make time |
Amanda always makes time for her old friends. |
Make a commitment |
Once Ruth makes a commitment, she follows through with it. |
Like this:
Like Loading...