In the English language, two commonly used verbs, "do" and "make," often cause confusion due to their overlapping meanings. While they may appear interchangeable at times, understanding the subtle distinctions between them is crucial for accurate communication. This article aims to shed light on the differences between "do" and "make" and provide examples to illustrate their usage in different contexts.
Do
- Do is used to talk about tasks. These tasks do not usually produce any physical object. What are the different tasks we do on a regular basis?
Tasks
Work and study tasks
- Have you done your homework?
- I wouldn't like to do that job.
- I’m doing a course in gardening.
- She is doing a project on renewable energy for her science class.
- We hired a professional to do our taxes.
- I need to do some research before writing my essay.
Household tasks
- Have you done your homework?
- I wouldn't like to do that job.
- I’m doing a course in gardening.
- She is doing a project on renewable energy for her science class.
- We hired a professional to do our taxes.
- I need to do some research before writing my essay.
- I have guests visiting tonight, so I should start doing the housework now.
- I need to do laundry today because I'm running out of clean clothes.
- We spent the whole afternoon doing the gardening in our backyard.
- I have a long list of tasks to do for the housework, such as cleaning, vacuuming, and scrubbing.
- I hate doing the ironing, but it's a necessary task.
- I'll do the dishes if you cook dinner.
- I need to do the grocery shopping for groceries.
Exceptions:
- Make the bed
- I make my bed every morning.
- Make a meal
- Dad is making dinner tonight.
Work and study tasks
- Have you done your homework?
- I wouldn't like to do that job.
- I’m doing a course in gardening.
- She is doing a project on renewable energy for her science class.
- We hired a professional to do our taxes.
- I need to do some research before writing my essay.
- I have guests visiting tonight, so I should start doing the housework now.
- I need to do laundry today because I'm running out of clean clothes.
- We spent the whole afternoon doing the gardening in our backyard.
- I have a long list of tasks to do for the housework, such as cleaning, vacuuming, and scrubbing.
- I hate doing the ironing, but it's a necessary task.
- I'll do the dishes if you cook dinner.
- I need to do the grocery shopping for groceries.
Exceptions:
- Make the bed
- I make my bed every morning.
- Make a meal
- Dad is making dinner tonight.
Recreational tasks
- I’m doing a crossword.
- He’s doing errands.
- She needs to do her nails.
- She spends her weekends doing various sports activities.
- I love to do photography as a hobby, capturing beautiful moments and scenes with my camera.
- I find it beneficial to do some meditation for a few minutes each day to clear my mind and find inner peace.
- She regularly does yoga to improve her flexibility and relieve stress.
Work related tasks that can also be recreational tasks
- Do the gardening:
- Work-related: As a professional landscaper, he is responsible for doing the gardening in various parks and public spaces.
- Recreational: On weekends, she enjoys doing the gardening in her backyard, tending to her plants and creating a beautiful outdoor space.
- Do the cooking:
- Work-related: As a chef, he does the cooking in a busy restaurant kitchen, preparing delicious meals for customers.
- Recreational: During her free time, she loves doing the cooking at home, trying out new recipes and experimenting with different flavors.
- Do woodworking:
- Work-related: He works as a furniture maker and does woodworking to craft custom pieces for clients according to their specifications.
- Recreational: In his workshop, he enjoys doing woodworking as a hobby, creating unique wooden sculptures and furniture for his own pleasure.
- Do programming:
- Work-related: As a software developer, he does a lot of programming to write code and develop software applications for a technology company.
- Recreational: In his spare time, he loves doing programming by working on personal coding projects, exploring new programming languages, and building his own applications.
Non-specific actions
Do is used to talk about non-specific actions.
- What are you doing this weekend?
- What do you do? (Do you work, study, etc.?)
- What are you doing this weekend?
Do is used with the following words ending in thing to talk about non-specific actions:
- Thing, something, nothing, anything, everything.
- Hurry up! I have lots of things to do!
- Don't just stand there – do something!
- Is there anything I can do to help you?
- Do everything you can to achieve your goals.
- He just sits around and does nothing all day.
Do is used to avoid repeating a verb.
- A: You have to clean your room before the guests arrive.
- B: I’ll do that task later.
Collocations with Do
Do is usually used in collocations to talk about good and bad actions.
- Can you do me a favour?
- We need to do the right thing.
- He did badly on the exam.
- The storm did significant damage to the crops.
- She always tries to do good by helping others in need.
- Smoking can do great harm to your lungs and overall health.
- In morally challenging situations, it is essential to do the right thing.
Make
Make is used to talk about the following:
- Creating physical objects.
- This factory makes cars.
- I made this table.
- She made a sweater.
- The producer made a film.
- She painted her face to make a scary Halloween costume.
- He carefully made a list of items to buy at the grocery store.
- She put in a lot of effort to make an error-free report.
- The artist used various colors to make a beautiful painting.
- He made an effort to improve his skills in order to succeed.
Exception: Take a picture or photograph.
- Preparing food and drink
- She is making a cake
- She made a cup of tea
- I’m making dinner
- Causing effects
- Onions make your eyes water.
- You make me happy.
- It’s not my fault. My brother made me do it!
- Making plans and decisions
- I’m making arrangements for our trip.
- I’ve Made an appointment to see the dentist on Thursday.
- I don’t know if I want the white shirt or the blue one. I have to make a choice.
- Have you made any plans for the weekend?
- We need to make a decision today.
- Make certain/sure that the invitations are sent.
- Did you make any changes to the schedule?
- He asked her out to make a date for the weekend.
- She carefully weighed the options to make the best decision.
- They made a reservation at their favorite restaurant for their anniversary.
- He planned an elaborate escape to make a clean getaway.
- Making sounds
- Some people made comments about my speech.
- The people at the party are making so much noise.
- What kind of sound does a sparrow make?
- My stomach is making sounds.
- Communicating
- She made a speech at the conference and captivated the audience with her inspiring words.
- The customer was unsatisfied with the service and decided to make a complaint to the manager.
- I need to make a phone call to confirm our dinner plans for tonight.
- During the meeting, he made a point about the importance of teamwork in achieving project goals.
- He made a promise to always be there for his friends.
- If you have any suggestions for improving the project, please feel free to make a suggestion.
- In order to clear his conscience, he decided to make a confession about his involvement in the incident.
- He filed a complaint to make his dissatisfaction known.
- She made a confession about her involvement in the incident.
- The customer made a demand for a refund.
- He tried to make an excuse for his absence.
- She made a valid point during the debate.
- Dealing with money
- He made a lot of money selling cars.
- He made a payment for the outstanding bill.
- They made a bet on the outcome of the game.
- The company made a substantial profit in the last quarter.
- He used his inheritance to make a fortune in the stock market.
- Forming or strengthening relationships
- They made friends during their travels around the world.
- I’ve made some new acquaintances at work.
- I’ve made some new connections at the congress.
- They formed a strong connection that would make their bond even stronger.
- Taking action
- She made a sincere attempt to resolve the issue.
- I believe in your ability to make a difference.
- She is certain that she can make a positive change.
- He made an effort to improve his skills in order to succeed.
- The rules make an exception for special circumstances.
- Making Mistakes and Corrections
- She made a mistake.
- She tried to make amends for her past mistakes.
- He realized his mistake and wanted to make amends.
- Making an Impact and Discoveries
- The new policies make a significant difference in the organization.
- The scientist made a groundbreaking discovery that will change the field.
- Her impressive performance made a lasting impression on the judges.
- Acting Foolishly
- She never liked it when people made fun of her.
- The parents made a big fuss over their child's achievements.
- He didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the crowd.
- He made a scene at the party, causing embarrassment to everyone.