Do and make are two English verbs which are often confused. There are, however, some important differences which can help us choose the right verb.
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When to use do do work: Joe does a lot of work in the
evenings. We use do in collocations associated with do business: They are doing business tasks, duties, obligations, and routine or in Japan. repetitive activities. Do usually refers to the do an assignment: I did my action of performing these activities, while assignment last weekend. make generally refers to the result. do a course: I am doing a photography course. Do is usually used in collocations referring to the following topics: ➪ Housework and repetitive tasks:
➪ Study and work: do the dishes: I do the dishes every
evening. do homework: I’ll do my homework do the laundry: Alice does the laundry after dinner. when she gets home. do the shopping: I’ll do the shopping make a cake: He made a cake to take after work. to the party. do the ironing: Lee is doing the make coffee: Tim makes coffee for his ironing right now. wife every morning. do housework: She does the make a sandwich: I made a sandwich housework at the weekends. to take to work. BUT make your bed: I make my bed make a snack: Sid was hungry, so he every morning. made a snack.
➪ Good or bad actions: ➪ Arrangements and decisions:
do well: He did well in his exams. make an appointment: I made an
do badly: I did badly in the race. appointment to see the doctor. do something, nothing, etc.: They did make plans: We are making plans for something exciting last weekend. the weekend. do your best: He did his best to pass make a list: I made a list of the things I the exam. needed to buy. do too much: Rita does too much for make a choice: Ian had to make a her children. difficult choice. make a decision: It took me a long ➪ Sports, hobbies, and self-care: time to make a decision. make a mistake: I made a mistake in do exercise: You should do more the exam. exercise. do yoga: Anna does yoga twice a ➪ Speaking, sounds and relationships: week. do karate, judo, etc. (martial arts): Bill make a promise: Jess made a promise does karate in the evenings. to her grandmother. do your hair: I have a shower, I do my make a phone call: I need to make a hair, and I get dressed. phone call. do your nails: Lara did my nails last make a joke: He made a joke about weekend. his sister’s new hairstyle. make a suggestion: The teacher made When to use make a good suggestion. make an excuse: He made an excuse We often use make when we talk about the to his teacher. creation or production of something. Do make a noise: The neighbours were usually refers to the action, to the process of making a lot of noise. doing something, whereas make refers to the make friends: She made friends result of that action. For example, if you make quickly at her new school. dinner, the result is pasta. ➪ Money: Make is usually used in collocations referring to the following topics: make a lot of money: He makes more money than I do. ➪ Food and drink preparation: make $10: Fred makes $10 an hour in his part-time job. make lunch, dinner, etc.: I’ll make make a living: She makes a living as a lunch soon. yoga teacher.