Do & Make

Do or Make

Do

Do for general activity
When we talk about a general activity but do not say what it is, we can use do:

• I want to do something.
• What are you doing this evening?
• What can we do?
• Do it now!

Do for work
We usually use do to talk about work:

• What do you do? (= What is your job?)
• Who does your shopping?
• I don't want to do any work today.
• I hate doing the washing up.
• Have you done your homework?

Note that we sometimes use do to replace another more exact verb (but only when the meaning is clear from the situation). This is very informal.

• do the lawn (cut/mow? sow? the lawn)
• do my room (tidy? paint? my room)
• do the car (wash? paint? repair? the car)

Make

Make for construction
Make often expresses the idea of construction or creation:

• I'll make a cake for Anthony's birthday.
• This car was made in France.
• Did you make this table yourself?

Remember that we usually use make for products or goods that are manufactured. That's why you see labels like "Made in Hong Kong" or "Made in the USA" on products that you buy.

Now compare:

• Do the shopping. (We don't really create anything. We just "do" an activity.)
• Make a cake. (We really create something.)

In the next example, notice how we use make for creation (the cake) and then use do (for the general activity) even though we're really talking about the same thing:

• I must make Anthony's cake. I'll do it now.

Expressions with Do and Make

Here are some expressions that you should learn. Notice that as main verbs we use make more often than do:

do good do harm do well do badly do a favour do business do sport do hobby do his/her/my/your/our best do exercise do shopping do homework do housework do an activity

make an attempt make a bed (usually this means "tidy  the bedclothes" but it could mean "manufacture the furniture") make a change/changes make a complaint make a decision make a demand make an effort make an exception make an excuse make a loss make love make a mistake make money make a noise make an offer make peace make a phone call make a profit make a suggestion make war make difference

Get the idea?????????????????

Answer the quiz

Do or Make Quiz

1	What do you domake for a living?	Click for answerdo
2	Have you donemade your homework already?	Click for answerdone
3	My husband doesmakes the grocery shopping.	Click for answerdoes
4	Amber didmade badly on her geography exam.	Click for answerdid
5	The children madedid a mess in the kitchen.	Click for answermade
6	We are having guests tonight, so please makedo your bed.	Click for answermake
7	I only madedid one mistake in my English test.	Click for answermade
8	I have to ask you to domake me a favour.	Click for answerdo
9	Have you and your friend madedone a decision yet?	Click for answermade
10	Please excuse me while I makedo a phonecall.	Click for answermake