English uses make and do in many familiar word combinations called collocations. We say make a decision, make progress, and make a mistake, but do homework, do research, and do your best.
A useful starting point is that do often describes carrying out an activity or task, while make often refers to creating something or producing a result.
But that distinction doesn’t explain every expression. We make the bed without creating a new bed, for example.
The natural choice often depends on which words commonly appear together.
Common Collocations with Make and Do
The following 40 expressions are grouped by their familiar uses, with examples showing how they fit into everyday English.
Common Collocations with Make
Decisions, Plans, and Arrangements
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Make a decision | After visiting both colleges, Hannah made a decision about where to study. |
| Make a plan | The family made a plan to share the driving on their journey north. |
| Make a suggestion | During the meeting, Felix made a suggestion that helped shorten the approval process. |
| Make a promise | Oliver made a promise to help his sister move into her new apartment. |
| Make an appointment | Priya made an appointment with the dentist for the following Thursday. |
Effort, Progress, and Results
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Make an effort | Despite feeling nervous, Theo made an effort to introduce himself to the other volunteers. |
| Make progress | After several lessons, Amelia was finally making progress with her driving. |
| Make a mistake | The accountant made a mistake when entering the final invoice amount. |
| Make a difference | The extra reading sessions made a difference to the children’s confidence. |
| Make a profit | The independent bookshop made a profit for the first time in three years. |
Everyday Actions
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Make breakfast | Daniel made breakfast while the rest of the family packed for their trip. |
| Make the bed | Rosa made the bed before opening the windows to air the room. |
| Make a reservation | The couple made a reservation at a small restaurant near the harbour. |
| Make a phone call | Before leaving the airport, Nina made a phone call to confirm the hotel booking. |
| Make a noise | Something in the kitchen cupboard made a strange noise whenever the washing machine was running. |
People, Communication, and Outcomes
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Make friends | Within a few weeks, the new student had made friends with several children in her class. |
| Make an impression | Clara’s thoughtful questions made a good impression during the interview. |
| Make a complaint | Several passengers made a complaint about the lack of information during the delay. |
| Make money | During university, Leah made money by repairing bicycles for other students. |
| Make sense | The instructions finally made sense once Adam watched someone assemble the shelf. |
Common Collocations with Do
Work and Study
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Do homework | Sophie did her homework before going to basketball practice. |
| Do research | The journalist did extensive research before interviewing the former employees. |
| Do paperwork | The clinic’s administrator did the paperwork while the nurse prepared the examination room. |
| Do an assignment | Lucas did the assignment over the weekend so he could submit it on Monday. |
| Do calculations | The engineer did the calculations again after discovering a discrepancy. |
Household Tasks
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Do the laundry | Emma did the laundry before packing for her business trip. |
| Do the dishes | After the family dinner, Ben and his brother did the dishes together. |
| Do the shopping | Maya usually does the shopping on Saturday mornings. |
| Do the cleaning | The housemates did the cleaning before their landlord’s inspection. |
| Do the cooking | Since his retirement, Robert has done most of the cooking at home. |
Responsibilities and Commitments
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Do business | The manufacturer does business with several independent retailers. |
| Do your duty | The lifeguard did her duty by reporting the damaged safety equipment. |
| Do someone a favour | Could you do me a favour and collect the parcel while I’m at work? |
| Do your best | Even when the competition became difficult, the swimmers did their best to finish strongly. |
| Do overtime | During the busy holiday period, several employees agreed to do overtime to clear the backlog of orders. |
Effects, Performance, and Activities
| Collocation | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| Do damage | The overnight storm did considerable damage to the greenhouse roof. |
| Do harm | Spreading the unverified rumour could do harm to someone’s reputation. |
| Do a good job | The volunteers did a good job of organising the charity book sale. |
| Do some exercise | On days when she couldn’t go running, Leah did some exercise at home. |
| Do the right thing | When Jonah found a lost wallet on the train, he did the right thing and handed it to a member of staff. |
When Should You Use Make or Do?
The activity-versus-result distinction is a helpful starting point, but the natural choice also depends on the expression and its meaning.
Do the Cooking or Make Dinner?
Suppose Hannah and her brother share household responsibilities.
Hannah usually does the cooking, but her brother is making dinner tonight.
Do the cooking describes the activity or responsibility of preparing meals.
Make dinner focuses on preparing a particular meal.
Both expressions can refer to the same cooking activity, but they emphasise different aspects of it.
Make an Effort or Do Your Best?
These expressions can describe someone’s attempt to achieve something, but their emphasis differs.
Consider a student preparing for a difficult examination.
Daniel made an effort to revise every evening, even after a long day at work.
During the examination, Daniel did his best to answer every question.
Make an effort draws attention to trying or putting effort into an activity.
Do your best means trying as hard as you can or performing as well as you can in the circumstances.
Making an effort does not necessarily mean someone has done everything possible.
Do Damage or Make a Difference?
The familiar guideline associates do with activities and make with results, but these expressions show why it has limits.
The leaking pipe did serious damage to the wooden floor.
Repairing the leak early made a difference to the cost of restoration.
Both sentences describe consequences, yet the established expressions use different verbs: do damage and make a difference.
Make, Take, or Reach a Decision?
Make a decision is a standard expression in both British and American English.
After discussing the options, the family made a decision to postpone the trip.
Take a decision is also accepted, particularly in British English and formal contexts.
The board took the decision to close the office during renovations.
Another familiar expression is reach a decision.
After several meetings, the committee finally reached a decision.
Reach a decision often emphasises arriving at a conclusion after consideration or discussion.
For everyday international writing, make a decision is a dependable choice.
When Another Verb Is More Natural
Not every noun combines most naturally with make or do. Some have other familiar verb partners, and certain nouns accept several alternatives.
| Expression | Natural example |
|---|---|
| Take a photograph | Nora took a photograph of the sunrise over the lake. |
| Give a presentation | The project manager gave a presentation to the new employees. |
| Tell a joke | Oliver told a joke before the meeting began. |
| Give advice | The careers adviser gave advice about preparing for interviews. |
Give a presentation, make a presentation, and do a presentation all occur in English. Give a presentation is a dependable choice when referring to delivering a talk.
Similarly, offer advice and provide advice are established alternatives to give advice.
Choosing Make or Do in Sentences
The same situation may involve several different combinations.
Before opening her small bakery, Priya did research into local demand, made a plan for the first six months, and made arrangements with suppliers.
Later, she might do the paperwork, make money from sales, and eventually make a profit.
Many expressions involving make and do are verb + noun collocations, although some have different grammatical structures.
A few combinations also have useful sentence patterns:
Could you do me a favour and check the delivery address?
The technician made an effort to explain the problem clearly.
The company made progress in reducing its delivery delays.
In the first sentence, me identifies the person receiving the favour. In the second, to explain identifies what the effort involved. In the third, in reducing identifies the area in which progress occurred.
Make or Do? Practice with Explanations
Choose the natural expression in each sentence. For Questions 5 and 6, more than one answer may be correct.
1. The technician ______ several calculations before ordering the replacement parts.
- A. made
- B. did
2. The repairs ______ a noticeable difference to the family’s heating bill.
- A. made
- B. did
3. During their parents’ visit, Oliver and his sister ______ most of the cooking.
- A. made
- B. did
4. The company ______ business with independent retailers across the country.
- A. makes
- B. does
5. Which expressions are natural when talking about deciding something?
- A. Make a decision
- B. Take a decision
- C. Do a decision
6. Which expressions can be used when talking about a presentation?
- A. Give a presentation
- B. Make a presentation
- C. Do a presentation
Answers and Explanations
| Question | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B. Did | Do calculations is the established combination for performing calculations. |
| 2 | A. Made | Make a difference describes having a noticeable effect. |
| 3 | B. Did | Do the cooking refers to carrying out the activity or taking responsibility for it. |
| 4 | B. Does | Do business describes commercial activity. |
| 5 | A and B | Make a decision and take a decision are both accepted. Do a decision is not the usual expression for deciding something. |
| 6 | A, B, and C | All three occur in English. Give a presentation is a natural general-purpose choice for delivering a talk, while make and do are also used in appropriate contexts. |
The answers show why a familiar collocation is often a reliable choice without necessarily being the only acceptable expression.
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