Do or Make? Common Collocations with Clear Examples

Do or make collocations is one of the most common grammar and vocabulary problems for English learners. Should you say do a mistake or make a mistake? Should you do homework or make homework? In this lesson, you will learn the difference between do and make, discover the most useful collocations, and practise them with clear examples.

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

One of the most common examples is this:

❌ I did a mistake.

✅ I made a mistake.

Or this:

❌ I’ll do the bed.

✅ I’ll make the bed.

The verbs do and make are extremely common in English, which is exactly why they cause so much confusion. In many languages, they translate as the same verb, but in English they are used in different collocations.

A collocation is a natural word combination. Native speakers say make a decision, not do a decision. They say do homework, not make homework.

The good news is that there are useful patterns. Once you learn the most common do or make collocations, your English will sound much more natural, accurate, and exam-ready.

This lesson will help you understand the difference between do and make, learn the most useful collocations, and avoid common mistakes in speaking and writing.

Do or Make? The Basic Difference

The general rule is this:

Use do for:

• work
• tasks
• duties
• activities
• routines
• general actions

Use make for:

• creating something
• producing something
• preparing something
• causing a result
• decisions, plans, mistakes, promises, sounds, and progress

Compare:

do homework	make a mistake
do the cleaning	make a decision
do a course	make progress
do business	make money
do your best	make an effort
do research	make a plan

However, English is English, which means there is always a little mischief hiding in the corner. Rules help, but collocations are king. The best way to learn do or make is to learn the most common word combinations.

Collocations with DO

We usually use do when we talk about work, tasks, responsibilities, study, general activities, and things that do not create a physical object.

1. DO for Work, Tasks and Duties

We use do for jobs, responsibilities, and tasks that need to be completed.

do homework	Michael usually does his homework 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 the ironing this evening.
do the washing up	Elsa did the washing up after dinner.
do the shopping	I sometimes do the shopping online.
do the gardening	My husband usually does the gardening on Saturdays.

2. DO for Jobs, Study and Formal Tasks

We also use do when we talk about work, study, exams, courses, and professional 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 were pleased with how you did the task.
do your duty	The police officer was praised for doing his duty.
do business	Many companies do business online these days.
do a course	Kelly is doing a course in pottery.
do an exam / test	You’re doing an exam tomorrow, so go to bed early.
do research	They did some research before making a decision.

3. DO for Activities and Routines

Use do for general activities, especially when the exact activity is understood from the context.

do exercise	She does exercise at home three times a week.
do sport	Children should do more sport at school.
do yoga	My sister does yoga every morning.
do Pilates	I’ve started doing Pilates to improve my posture.
do karate	He did karate when he was younger.
do cooking	I’ll bring the drinks and you do the cooking.
do a favour	Could you do me a favour and close the window?

4. DO with General Result Words

Some common expressions with do describe the effect of an action.

do good	Volunteering can do a lot of good in the community.
do harm	Too much sun can do serious harm to your skin.
do damage	The storm did a lot of damage to the roof.
do your best	Just do your best and don’t worry about the result.
do badly	He did badly in the interview because he was nervous.
do well	She did well in her final exams.

5. DO with Personal Care and Creative Activities

We use do for some beauty and creative activities when we focus on the activity rather than the result.

do your hair	Who did your hair? It looks lovely.
do your nails	She’s doing her nails before the party.
do your make-up	It takes her ten minutes to do her make-up.
do a drawing	Tom did a drawing of his house.
do a painting	The children did paintings of their families.

Collocations with MAKE

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

1. MAKE for Food and Drink

Use make when you prepare food or drink.

make tea	I’ll make some tea.
make coffee	Can you make me a coffee?
make breakfast	I’ll make breakfast while you lay the table.
make lunch	She made lunch for the children.
make dinner	He made dinner for the whole family.
make a meal	We made a simple meal from leftovers.
make a cake	Did you buy this cake or make it yourself?
make a sandwich	I made a cheese sandwich for lunch.

2. MAKE for Creating and Building

Use make when something is created, built, or produced.

make the bed	Daniel taught his children to make their beds.
make a mess	The dog made a terrible mess in the kitchen.
make a noise	Please don’t make a noise while the baby is sleeping.
make a list	I made a list of everything we need.
make a copy	Can you make a copy of this document?
make a model	The students made a model of a volcano.

3. MAKE for Plans, Decisions and Arrangements

Many important life and work collocations use make.

make a plan	We need to make a plan for the summer.
make plans	They’re making plans to move abroad.
make a decision	I need more time to make a decision.
make a choice	It’s difficult to make the right choice.
make an arrangement	We made an arrangement to meet at six.
make an appointment	I need to make an appointment with the doctor.
make a change	We should make a change to the schedule.
make a phone call	May I make a quick phone call?

4. MAKE for Communication

We use make with many words connected to speaking, complaining, promising, suggesting, and explaining.

make a speech	The head teacher made a speech at the end of the school year.
make a comment	I’d like to make a comment about the new timetable.
make a statement	The company made a statement after the meeting.
make a complaint	The customer made a complaint about the poor service.
make an excuse	He made an excuse for being late again.
make a promise	She made a promise to help her brother revise.
make a suggestion	Can I make a suggestion about the project?
make an offer	They made an offer to help us organise the event.
make a request	The students made a request for more exam practice.
make an apology	The manager made an apology for the delay.
make an announcement	The pilot made an announcement before take-off.
make a point	She made an interesting point during the discussion.
make a joke	He made a joke to lighten the mood.
make a remark	She made a rude remark about his clothes.
make an observation	The teacher made an observation about common spelling mistakes.

5. MAKE for Results and Consequences

Use make when something produces a result or consequence.

make progress	Brian has made a lot of progress with his French.
make money	He made some money by selling handmade cards.
make a profit	The company made a profit last year.
make a loss	The business made a loss of £4 million.
make a mistake	Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.
make an error	The bank made an error in my account.
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 difference	Small changes can make a big difference.
make an impression	She made a good impression at the interview.

6. MAKE for Feelings and Reactions

We also use make when something causes a feeling or reaction.

make someone happy	Her message made me happy.
make someone sad	The ending of the film made me sad.
make someone angry	His rude comment made everyone angry.
make someone laugh	This story always makes me laugh.
make someone cry	The song made her cry.
make someone feel + adjective	The long walk made us feel tired.

Do or Make Collocations: Common Mistakes

These mistakes are very common among English learners.

do a mistake	make a mistake
do a decision	make a decision
do progress	make progress
do money	make money
do a plan	make a plan
make homework	do homework
make an exam	do an exam / sit an exam
make exercise	do exercise
make research	do research
do a cake	make a cake
do the bed	make the bed
do a noise	make a noise

Examples:

❌ I did many mistakes in the test.

✅ I made many mistakes in the test.

❌ She made her homework after school.

✅ She did her homework after school.

❌ We need to do a decision soon.

✅ We need to make a decision soon.

❌ He has done a lot of progress.

✅ He has made a lot of progress.

❌ Please don’t do so much noise.

✅ Please don’t make so much noise.

Do or Make Collocations in Cambridge Exams

The difference between do and make is very useful for Cambridge exams such as B2 First and C1 Advanced.

You may need these collocations in:

• Use of English tasks
• word formation exercises
• sentence transformations
• essays
• reports
• reviews
• speaking answers

For example:

• Students should make an effort to revise regularly.
• Governments need to make decisions about environmental protection.
• Many young people do part-time jobs while studying.
• Online learning has made a big difference to education.
• Candidates often make mistakes with collocations.

Using the correct collocation makes your English sound more natural and accurate. It also helps you avoid the kind of small errors that examiners notice immediately.

Final Thoughts

The difference between do and make may seem small, but it has a big effect on how natural your English sounds.

Remember:

• You do homework, but you make a mistake.
• You do research, but you make a decision.
• You do your best, but you make progress.
• You do the cleaning, but you make the bed.

The best way to master do or make collocations is to notice them, write them down, and practise them in full sentences.

And remember: in English, you do your best and you make progress — which is a very good deal, really.

Related posts:

25 Collocations with “Make” 

Verb + Noun Collocations 

Collocations with Make, Take, Get, Have, Give, Do 

Verb-Noun Collocations: Do, Have, Make, Take 

10 Pairs of Commonly Confused Verbs 

Collocations for C1 Advanced (CAE)

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FAQ: Do or Make?

What is the difference between do and make?
We usually use do for tasks, duties, work, routines, and general activities. We usually use make when we create, produce, prepare, or cause something.

Do we say do a mistake or make a mistake?
The correct expression is make a mistake. For example: Everyone makes mistakes when learning a language.

Do we say do homework or make homework?
The correct expression is do homework. For example: I usually do my homework after dinner.

Do we say make progress or do progress?
The correct expression is make progress. For example: She has made a lot of progress with her English.

Why are do and make difficult for English learners?
They are difficult because many languages use one verb for both meanings, but English uses fixed collocations such as do homework, make a decision, do research, and make progress.