Verb + Noun Collocations with Do, Have, Make and Take

Hello English learners! Welcome to a new lesson. In today’s lesson, we are going to look at common verb + noun collocations with do, have, make, and take. These four verbs are among the most common verbs in English, and that is exactly why they can be so confusing. Learners often know the noun but are not sure which verb to use with it.

For example, do we say do homework, make homework, or take homework? Why do we say make a decision but take action? And why can we say both have a bath and take a bath?

The truth is that collocations do not always follow strict logic. Sometimes the choice of verb reflects the general meaning of the verb, but very often the best way to learn these phrases is simply to learn them in context.

Still, a few general ideas can help:

• do usually refers to performing a task, work, or activity
• have often refers to eating, drinking, experiencing, or receiving something
• make usually means creating, producing, or causing something
• take often refers to performing an action, using something, carrying something out, or accepting something

Let’s look at the most useful collocations with each verb.

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Verb + noun collocations with DO

We often use do for tasks, duties, work, and activities.

Do the housework / the homework

• My flatmates and I take turns doing the housework.
• After doing his homework, Brian went cycling in the park.

Do your best

This means to try as hard as you can.

• We should do our best to provide good customer service.
• She always does her best, even when the task is difficult.

Do harm

This means to damage or hurt someone or something.

• Smoking can do serious harm to your health.
• Too much screen time may do harm to your eyes.

Do someone a favour

This means to help someone.

• Could you do me a favour and close the window?
• He did me a favour by picking up the parcel.

Do right / do wrong

• We should all try to do right, even when it is hard.
• People who do wrong should take responsibility for their actions.

Do research

• The team travelled to the mountains to do research on local plants.
• Scientists are doing research into new treatments.

Do the shopping

• Sara usually does the shopping on Sunday mornings.
• I’ll do the shopping after work.

Do an exam / do a test

In British English, do an exam and do a test are very common.

• I can’t come out tonight. I’m doing an exam tomorrow morning.
• If I had to do the test again, I’d probably do much better.

Do exercise

• If you do exercise regularly, you’ll soon feel fitter.
• He started doing more exercise after New Year.

Do well

This means to be successful.

• Their business is doing well this year.
• She always does well in interviews.

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Verb + noun collocations with HAVE

We often use have for meals, drinks, experiences, and certain activities.

Have an appointment

• I’m having an appointment at the dentist’s this afternoon.
• She has an appointment with her manager at ten.

Have an advantage / a disadvantage

• Simon has an advantage over John because he has more experience.
• Living in the city has both advantages and disadvantages.

Have an argument

• She had an argument with her sister before they set off.
• We had an argument about money.

Have a baby

• Milly is going to have a baby in June.
• They were overjoyed when they heard she was having a baby.

Have a bath / have a shower

• I usually have a shower in the evening.
• On Sundays, I like to have a bath and relax.

Have a rest / a nap / a good night’s sleep

• After walking for hours, we stopped to have a rest.
• Grandpa is having a nap, so please be quiet.
• I haven’t had a good night’s sleep for days.

Have breakfast / lunch / dinner / a meal / tea / coffee / a drink

• We usually have lunch around noon.
• Shall we have a coffee tomorrow?
• They had dinner at a lovely little restaurant by the sea.

Have a good time / have a great time

• We had a great time at the party.
• They’re having a wonderful time on holiday.

Have a chance / an opportunity

• I didn’t have a chance to speak to him.
• We had an opportunity to ask questions at the meeting.

Have a point

This means that someone’s argument is valid.

• You have a point, actually.
• I didn’t agree at first, but she had a point.

Have a suggestion

• I have a suggestion that might help.
• Do you have any suggestions for improving the lesson?

Have an excuse

• You don’t have an excuse for being rude.
• He always has an excuse for being late.

Have fun

• We always have fun when Robert is around.
• I hope you have fun at the concert tonight.

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Verb + noun collocations with MAKE

We usually use make when we create, cause, plan, or produce something.

Make arrangements

• We need to make arrangements for the trip.
• They’re making arrangements for the wedding.

Make an attempt

• He made an attempt to explain the problem.
• The government is making an attempt to improve public transport.

Make a break for it

This means to try to escape quickly.

• The thief made a break for it and ran into the crowd.

Make a breakthrough

• Researchers have made a breakthrough in cancer treatment.
• The company made a major breakthrough in battery technology.

Make a complaint

• Several tenants made a complaint about the noise.
• If the service is poor, you should make a complaint.

Make a decision

• I need some time to make a decision.
• She finally made the decision to move abroad.

Make a difference

• A few small changes can make a big difference.
• Regular exercise really makes a difference.

Make a discovery

• Scientists made an important discovery.
• The archaeologists made a remarkable discovery near the river.

Make an exception

• We don’t usually stay open this late, but we’ll make an exception.
• The teacher rarely makes exceptions.

Make progress

• You’re making progress with your English.
• They’ve made a lot of progress since last year.

Make a mistake

• Everyone makes mistakes from time to time.
• He made a careless mistake in the final paragraph.

Make a promise

• She made a promise to call her parents every week.
• Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.

Make an effort

• You need to make more of an effort if you want to improve.
• He made a real effort to be polite.

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Verb + noun collocations with TAKE

We often use take for actions, reactions, time, transport, medicine, and certain routine activities.

Take a photo

• Let’s take a photo while we’re all together.
• She took some beautiful photos on holiday.

Take a break

• We’ve been working for hours. Let’s take a break.
• You should take a short break every now and then.

Take sugar / milk in your tea or coffee

• Do you take sugar in your coffee?
• I don’t take milk in tea.

Take a test / take an exam

This is also common, especially in American English.

• She’s taking a test this afternoon.
• Thousands of students take exams every year.

Take your time

• There’s no rush. Take your time.
• He took his time answering the question.

Take a message

• I’m afraid she’s not here at the moment. Can I take a message?
• Could you take a message for Mr Harris?

Take a look

• Come and take a look at this.
• While we’re in Istanbul, let’s take a look at the old city.

Take care

• Take care on your way home.
• She always takes care of her younger brother.

Take a bow

• At the end of the performance, the actors came on stage and took a bow.
• The whole cast took a bow to loud applause.

Take action

• The government must take action soon.
• Schools need to take action against bullying.

Take medicine / take a pill

• You should take this medicine after meals.
• He forgot to take his pill this morning.

Take notes

• Students should take notes while listening.
• I took notes during the lecture.

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A quick note on similar collocations

Sometimes two verbs can collocate with the same noun, but the meaning may be the same or slightly different.

For example:

• have a bath = take a bath
  These usually mean the same thing.

But:

• make a bath
  This means to prepare a bath, for example by running the water.

So, even when the noun is the same, the verb can change the meaning.

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Why is it important to learn collocations?

Learning single words is useful, but learning collocations helps you sound much more natural. Native speakers do not usually build every sentence word by word like bricks. They often use ready-made word partnerships.

Compare these:

• incorrect: make homework
• correct: do homework
• incorrect: do a decision
• correct: make a decision
• incorrect: make a shower
• correct: have a shower

That is why it is so important to learn vocabulary in chunks rather than in isolation.

If you would like to learn more about collocations and why they are so important in natural English, Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries has a very helpful guide on the topic.

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Final thoughts

As you can see, do, have, make, and take form a huge number of common collocations in English. There is not always a perfect rule for choosing the right verb, but understanding the general meaning of each verb can certainly help.

The best way to learn these expressions is to notice them, record them, and practise them in full sentences. Over time, the correct combinations will start to sound natural to you.

So don’t just memorise isolated words. Learn the whole phrase. That is where real fluency begins.

To help you practise these collocations more actively, I’ve attached a printable exercise worksheet with gap-fills, matching tasks, sentence completion, and an answer key.

Verb + Noun Collocations Practice Worksheet in PDF

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25 Collocations with MAKE

50 Collocations with GIVE

Words with Multiple Meanings

100 Collocations to Use in Daily Life

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