Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing. Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.
I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘make’ and ‘do’. Often (but not always) it is because the German word ‘machen’ is mistranslated.
There are many phrases and expressions that exist in English where there is no real rule to help you remember the difference between ‘make’ and ‘do’. You just have to learn them. Sorry!
Take a look at the examples below. Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.
Make a complaint.
E.g. The food took ages to arrive and it tasted really bad. I had to make a complaint to the restaurant manager.
Make an effort.
E.g. Come on, you have to try harder than that. If you want to get good results, you have to make an effort.
Do research.
E.g. I’m going to do as much research as possible before I start writing my thesis.
Have fun learning English!
Louise