Category: Make or do?

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.

Do good.

E.g. She volunteers at a local charity and tries to do good in her local community. 

Make a choice.

E.g.  He had to make a choice between two job offers.  It was a difficult decision.

Make a mistake.

E.g. I’ve learnt my lesson.  I won’t make a mistake like last time!

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

Do well.

E.g.  A business needs good management and good staff to do well.

Make a difference.

E.g.  Planning and careful preparation will make a big difference to the outcome.  If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail!

Make sure.

E.g.  Please make sure all the lights are turned off before you leave the building.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

Do the gardening.

E.g.  My father spends Saturday and Sunday afternoons doing the gardening.

Make an exception.

E.g.  The rules are very clear.  We cannot make an exception for you.  If you don’t follow the rules, you will have to leave.

Make a fire.

E.g.  They tried to make a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

Do your hair.

E.g.  She spends ages every morning doing her hair.

Make a fool of yourself.

E.g.  The presentation was a disaster.  He hadn’t prepared at all and made a total fool of himself in front of the client.  He couldn’t answer any of the questions.

Make a sound.

E.g.  Don’t make a sound!  The children are asleep.  We need to be quiet.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

Do chores.

E.g.  Let’s do our chores.  Then we can go out.

Make a confession.

E.g.  I have to make a confession.  The figures are wrong.  I’ve made a mistake.  Sorry!

Make time ( = find time to do something.)

E.g.  If you want to do well on the exam, you have to make time to study and learn.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

Do badly.

E.g.  He did really badly on the exam last week.  He’ll probably have to do it again at a later date.

Make an attempt.

E.g.  He made an attempt to learn Spanish but he found it really difficult.

Make an observation.

E.g.  Could I make an observation?  Customer feedback shows we still have some major problems with the advertising campaign.

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

 

Do the dishes / washing up.

E.g.  I really need to get a dishwasher.  I don’t like doing the dishes.

 

Make your way.

E.g.  After the presentation had ended, they all made their way back to the main building where they had lunch.

 

Make a noise.

E.g.  Try not to make a noise when you come home as the children will be asleep.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

 

Do paperwork.

E.g.  I don’t enjoy doing paperwork but I don’t have a choice.  It has to be done.

 

Make a change.

E.g.  Her boss was pleased with the report.  She only had to make a few small changes.

 

Make a remark.

E.g.  He wasn’t very pleased because his boss made a few negative remarks about his presentation.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

 

Do harm.

E.g.  She spilt some red wine on her white shirt and tried to clean it, but it did more harm than good.

 

Make a suggestion.

E.g.  Can I make a suggestion?  How about contacting the client to get more information before we decide how to proceed.

 

Make your mind up.

E.g.  Do you want the job in Cologne or the job in Bonn.  It’s decision time.  Make your mind up!

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise

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.

 

Do your best.

E.g.  Don’t worry if you don’t get every question correct on the test.  Just do your best.

 

Make an offer.

E.g.  He made an offer on the house yesterday.  He should hear by the end of the week if the offer has been accepted.

 

Make plans.

E.g.  They are making plans to move to London by the end of the year.

 

Have fun learning English!

Louise