DO or MAKE?

Do or Make? Collocations You Must Know (with Clear Examples)

Some mistakes in English are small. Others instantly make your English sound… well… less than natural.

One of the most famous ones is this:

❌ I did a mistake.

✅ I made a mistake.

Or:

❌ I’ll do the bed.

✅ I’ll make the bed.

Both do and make are extremely common verbs — and that’s exactly why they cause so much trouble. They often translate to the same verb in other languages, but in English they follow very clear collocation patterns.

And here’s the good news: there is a logic to them — and once you learn the main groups, your English immediately becomes more natural, more precise, and much more exam-ready (B2 First, C1 Advanced, and beyond).

Let’s finally make this easy. (Yes — make, not do 😄)

The basic idea (in human language)

We usually use DO for: activities, work, tasks, duties, processes

We usually use MAKE for: creating, producing, building, causing, preparing

But in real English, collocations matter more than rules. So the best approach is to learn the most common and useful combinations.

Let’s start.

Collocations with DO

We use DO mainly for:

• work and tasks
• activities and routines
• responsibilities and duties
• things where the result is not a physical object

Work, tasks, and duties

do homework

Michael usually does his homework right after lunch.

do housework

We do most of the housework at the weekend.

do the cleaning

A woman comes on Fridays to do the cleaning.

do the laundry

Jane did the laundry and hung it out to dry.

do the ironing

I have to do some ironing this evening.

do the washing up

After dinner, Elsa did the washing up.

do the shopping

I sometimes do the shopping online.

do the gardening

My husband usually does the gardening.

Work, jobs, study, and formal tasks

do work

Simon did the work quickly because it was easy.

do a job

Sara has all the qualifications to do the job.

do a task

We’re satisfied with how you did the task.

do your duty

The policeman was awarded for doing his duty.

do business

People do a lot of business online these days.

do a course

Kelly is doing a course in pottery.

do an exam / do a test

You’d better go to bed early. You’re doing an exam tomorrow.

do research

They did some research before making a decision.

Activities and general actions

do exercise / do sport

She does exercise at home three times a week.

do cooking

I’ll bring the drinks and you do the cooking.

do a favour

Will you do me a favour and turn the TV off?

Do + general result words

do harm

This chemical can do serious harm to the environment.

do good / do bad

The desire to do good can be a powerful motivation.

do your best

What matters is that you do your best.

Do + personal care & creative work (as an activity)

do your hair / do your nails

Who did her hair? It looks fantastic.

do a drawing / do a painting

Tom did the drawing and Sam coloured it.

Collocations with MAKE

We use MAKE mainly for:

• creating or producing something
• building or preparing something
• causing a reaction or result
• plans, decisions, promises, sounds, changes, etc.

Food and drink

make tea / coffee

Fiona went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.

make breakfast / lunch / dinner / a meal

I’ll make breakfast while you lay the table.

make a cake

Did you buy this cake or make it yourself?

Creating and building

make the bed

Daniel taught his children to make their beds properly.

make a mess

The dog made a terrible mess in the kitchen.

make a noise

It’s not polite to make noise while eating.

Plans, decisions, and arrangements

make a plan / make plans

We need to make plans for the future.

make a change

Can we make a change to the guest list?

make a phone call

May I make a quick phone call?

Communication

make a speech

Tom had to make a speech at his sister’s wedding.

make a comment

I’d like to make a comment about this.

make a statement

The politician made a statement to the press.

make a complaint

I’d like to make a complaint about this room.

make an excuse

Peter made an excuse for being late.

make a promise

Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.

Results and consequences

make progress

Brian has made a lot of progress with his French.

make money / make a profit

He made some money by selling handicrafts.

make a loss

The company made a loss of £4 million.

make a mistake / make an error

Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.

make friends

We made a lot of friends on holiday.

make an effort

You need to make an effort to eat more healthily.

make a guess

Can you make a guess where he put his phone?

In exams and real life:

❌ do a mistake → ✅ make a mistake

❌ do a decision → ✅ make a decision

❌ do progress → ✅ make progress

These are classic B1/B2 mistakes that examiners notice immediately.

The golden rule (that actually works)

If you are:

doing an activity, task, or work → use DO

creating, building, causing, or producing a result → use MAKE

And when in doubt: learn the collocation, not the rule.

Final thought

“Do or make?” is one of those small details that makes a big difference to how natural your English sounds.

Get these right, and suddenly your English feels cleaner, sharper, and much more confident — especially in writing and speaking exams.

And remember: you do your best — and you make progress. 😄

Download the worksheet with MAKE or Do exercises in PDF here

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