Make / Do

➣En español sólo hay un verbo hacer, por lo que suele ser un enigma cuándo utilizar uno u otro. Let’s try.

➫ We use ‘make’ when we create or construct something. For example:

Recipe Vegan Birthday Cake

➫ We use ‘do’ for general activities. ‘Do‘ is often used with ‘something’, ‘nothing’, ‘anything’ or ‘everything’:

• I didn’t do anything special.
• She cannot do everything herself. She needs some help.
• Are you doing anything interesting during the holidays?
• What did you do at the weekend?
  • BUT ••• ➼ What do you do? ➣What’s your job/profession?

➫ Expressions with make and do

➣ But they don’t follow any rules, so you have to learn them by heart.

DO:

30 mph (miles per hour)	Drivers do more than 30 mph near the school. It’s very dangerous.
badly	She did very badly, so she’ll have to retake the test.
your best	Don’t worry about the test. Just do your best.
business	It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.
chores	I have to go home and do some chores.
a course	John has decided to do a course in computing this autumn.
a crossword	She sat on the sofa, doing a crossword.
damage	The storm has done a lot of damage to the house.
the dishes / the washing up	I really hate doing the dishes. I must buy a dishwasher.
a drawing	Alba spent hours doing a drawing.
your duty	England expects that every man will do his duty.
an exam	I have to do an exam and write an essay this week.
exercise	Juan likes doing exercise, especially running.
an exercise	The teacher made us do a lot of grammar exercises.
someone a favour	My friend did me a huge favour taking care of the cats.
the gardening	We often spend Sundays doing gardening.
good	She helps stray dogs trying to do good.
you good	You should eat more veggies. They’ll do you good!
your hair	He spends ages doing his hair!
harm	I spilt coffee and tried to wipe it, but I did more harm than good.
homework	Have you finished doing your homework?
housework	Let’s do the housework quickly, then we can go out.
the ironing	Luis does the ironing while he listens to the radio.
a job	I think the activists did a great job with the fur farms.
the laundry / the washing	He did the laundry and hung the clothes out.
your nails	Do you do your nails?
a painting	There was an old man sitting on the bank of the river, doing a painting.
paperwork	Does everybody hate doing paperwork?
research	I’m doing some research for my thesis at the moment.
the shopping	I’ll do the shopping tomorrow. We need oat milk, fruit and rice.
time (= be in prison)	The robbers broke into a bank, were caught by the police, and now they are doing time.
well	My sister is doing well in her new job.
work	I have to do a lot of work this weekend.
your worst	We must not let him do his worst. He has been reported for  animal abuse.

MAKE:

amends	I’m so sorry that I upset you. How can I make amends?
an appointment	She had toothache, so she made an appointment with the dentist for the following day.
arrangements	As we’re going on holiday soon, let’s make some arrangements. I’ll find a hotel, and you can look at flights.
an attempt	We might not save the kitten, but let’s at least make an attempt to take him to the vet.
believe	The children’s favourite game is to make believe that they are the Ogre and the Donkey from Shrek.
certain	I think it opens at six, but let’s make certain.
a change	I’ve made some changes to the document.
a choice	Which one are you going to buy? You need to make a choice.
a comment	My son made a comment about my flip flops.
a complaint	The medical attention was so bad that we made a complaint to the hospital.
a confession	I’d like to make a confession. I used to eat animals.
a date	Let’s make a date to have a meal.
a decision	I’ve made a decision. I’m going to go vegan.
a difference	Going vegan has really made a difference to how I feel.
a discovery	Alba made a discovery. Vegan food is awesome!
an effort	You’re not trying hard enough! Make an effort!
an error	He made several errors on the essay, and the teacher told him to rewrite it.
your escape	The bank robbers were able to make their escape.
an exception	The stray cat is not allowed inside the house but I made an exception because it is freezing.
an excuse	Why was Alba late? Did she make an excuse?
a face	The child bit into the lemon and made a face.
a fire	We put up our tent, made a fire, and had a sandwich.
a fool of yourself	You shouldn’t say those silly things in public! You’ll make a fool of yourself.
a fortune	Lorna made a fortune when she sold her company. Now she doesn’t have to work.
friends	She made lots of friends at college.
fun of	People shouldn’t make fun of imprisoned animals. It is cruel and disgusting.
a fuss	I’m fine, it’s just a cough. Don’t make a fuss!
an impression	You certainly made an impression last night! All my friends are asking about you.
a joke	It was a tense situation at the beginning, but then Juan made a joke, and after that it was much more relaxed.
a journey	Because of the snow, try not to make any journeys which are not absolutely essential.
a list	First, I must make a list of all the things I have to do.
a loss	Their business made a loss the first year, but did much better after that.
love	We used to make love practically every day.
a mess	What a mess you’ve made! Clean it up!
a mistake	She made a huge mistake and now she regrets it.
money	John made a lot of money and was able to retire at 55.
a move	Look how late it is! Let’s make a move.
a noise	Please try not to make a noise when you come home.
an observation	May I make an observation? I don’t think you should eat foie gras.
an offer	She made an offer on a house. She’ll find out today if it has been accepted.
a payment	I’d like to make a credit card payment, please.
a phone call	I’m going outside to make a phone call. It’s too noisy in here.
plans	Juan is making plans to move to Canada.
a point	The activist used lots of examples to make his point.
a prediction	The journalist made a prediction about the economy, but in the end it wasn’t correct.
a profit	His business made a profit from the beginning.
progress	The country has made significant progress in animal rights.
a promise	I made a promise to myself that I would never hurt any creature.
a remark	Juan was in trouble because he made a negative remark about his police corporal.
a reservation	Could you call the restaurant and make a reservation for tonight?
a scene	He made a scene in the school. He shouted at all the staff and demanded to speak to the principal.
a sound	Don’t make a sound! We need to be completely quiet.
a speech	He made an emotive speech at her funeral.
a suggestion	Can I make a suggestion? How about the vegan burger?
sure	I don’t think I left the gate open, but I’m going to make sure.
the bed	I never make the bed. I just stretch the duvet.
time (=find time to do something)	You have to make time to get a diploma or you will never get the job.
trouble	The headmistress in our school always makes trouble. She is always slandering and maligning.
a visit	I need to make a visit to that dog pound.
your mind up	What do you want? Make your mind up quickly!
your way	After work, I make my way to the animal shelter.

And click here for ‘make’ or ‘do’ exercise 1.

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