20 Collocations With Make and Do, Grouped by Topic With Examples

As a general rule, use make when you create, produce or cause something (make a cake, make a decision, make a noise) and do when you perform a task, job or activity (do the shopping, do your homework, do business). Cambridge Dictionary's grammar guide puts it the same way: do "generally means to perform an activity or job", while make "generally means to create or produce something". The rule explains most cases, but not all, so the safest way to learn these words is as fixed pairs called collocations. Below are 20 of the most useful ones, 10 with make and 10 with do, grouped by topic with natural example sentences, plus the exceptions that catch learners out and a short quiz.

The basic difference between make and do

	make	do
Core idea	Create, produce, cause; the result is in focus	Perform, carry out; the activity is in focus
Question it answers	What did you create or cause?	What activity did you carry out?
Typical nouns	food, plans, decisions, sounds, speech, money, changes	work, tasks, chores, study, exercise, favours
Example	I made a sandwich. (there is now a sandwich)	I did the dishes. (I washed them; nothing new was created)

One more useful pattern: do often goes with general or unspecified activities, especially with words like something, anything, nothing, everything and what: What are you doing this weekend? I didn't do anything yesterday.

Make: decisions, plans and arrangements

1. make a decision: We need to make a decision about the budget by Friday.
2. make plans: Have you made any plans for the holidays?
3. make an appointment: I'd like to make an appointment with Dr Lee. (In British English you also book an appointment.)
4. make a mistake: Everyone makes mistakes when they speak a new language.

Adjectives fit naturally inside these collocations: make a difficult decision, make a serious mistake, make last-minute plans.

Make: communication and speech

5. make a phone call: Excuse me, I need to make a quick phone call.
6. make a suggestion: Can I make a suggestion? Let's start ten minutes earlier.
7. make a complaint: He made a complaint to the hotel manager about the noise. (For written complaints, see our guide on how to write a formal letter.)
8. make a promise: Don't make a promise you can't keep.

Other common ones in this group: make an excuse, make a joke, make a comment, make a speech, make a request, make an offer.

Make: results, money and change

9. make progress: You've made a lot of progress with your pronunciation. (Uncountable: not a progress.)
10. make a difference: Ten minutes of speaking practice a day makes a real difference.

Also useful: make money, make a profit, make a loss, make changes, make an effort, make a noise, make friends, make sure, make sense.

Do: work and study

11. do your homework: I usually do my homework on the train.
12. do a course: She's doing an online business English course. (British English; American English often says take a course.)
13. do business: We've done business with that company for years.
14. do research: I did some research before I chose a school. (Uncountable: not a research or researches.)

Also: do a job, do your best, do an exam (British; also take or sit an exam), do an exercise, do a test, do a project.

Do: housework and daily routines

15. do the shopping: I do the shopping on Saturday mornings.
16. do the dishes / do the washing-up: If you cook, I'll do the dishes. (Do the washing-up is British.)
17. do the laundry / do the washing: He does the laundry every Sunday.

Also: do the housework, do the ironing, do the cooking, do the cleaning. The big exception is make the bed: I make my bed every morning. You are arranging it into a finished state, so English uses make.

Do: favours, health and general activity

18. do someone a favour: Could you do me a favour and check this email?
19. do exercise: I try to do some exercise every day. (Also do yoga, do sport in British English.)
20. do damage / do harm: The storm did a lot of damage to the roof. A little stress won't do you any harm.

Also: do your hair, do your make-up, do well, do badly, do good (help people).

All 20 at a glance

Topic	make	do
Decisions and plans	a decision, plans, an appointment, a mistake
Communication	a phone call, a suggestion, a complaint, a promise
Results	progress, a difference
Work and study		homework, a course, business, research
Home and routine		the shopping, the dishes, the laundry
Favours, health, effects		a favour, exercise, damage

Tricky cases and exceptions

Wrong	Right	Note
do a mistake	make a mistake	The most common error with these verbs
do a decision	make a decision	British English also uses take a decision, mostly in formal or business contexts
make my homework	do my homework	Homework is a task
make a favour	do a favour	But ask a favour is also correct
do a photo	take a photo	Neither make nor do; many languages use "make"
make a party	have / throw a party	Make a party is not natural English
do a break	take / have a break	Another take collocation
make sport	do sport (UK) / play sports (US)	For specific games, use play: play football
do a noise	make a noise	Sounds are produced
make an exam	take / sit / do an exam	All three are fine in British English

Some of these mistakes come from the learner's first language. Spanish hacer, French faire, German machen and Portuguese fazer can each translate as both make and do, so speakers of those languages often pick the wrong one. If that is you, the collocations above are worth learning as fixed phrases.

Make and do in phrasal verbs

Both verbs also form phrasal verbs with their own meanings. A few of the most common:

• make up (invent, or become friends again): He made up an excuse. They argued but made up the next day.
• make up for (compensate): I'll work late to make up for the lost time.
• make out (see or understand with difficulty): I couldn't make out what she was saying.
• do up (fasten, or renovate): Do up your coat. They're doing up an old house.
• do without (manage without something): I can't do without coffee in the morning.
• could do with (would like or need): I could do with a holiday.

For more, see our guide to common phrasal verbs for everyday conversation.

Quiz: make or do?

Choose the correct verb in the right form.

1. Sorry, I ___ a mistake in the invoice.
2. Who ___ the shopping in your house?
3. Could you ___ me a favour and close the window?
4. She's ___ a lot of progress since September.
5. I need to ___ a phone call before the meeting.
6. We ___ business with clients in twelve countries.
7. Don't forget to ___ your bed before you leave.
8. They ___ some research before buying the car.
9. Small changes can ___ a big difference.
10. I ___ some exercise every morning before work.

Answers: 1) made 2) does 3) do 4) made 5) make 6) do 7) make 8) did 9) make 10) do

How to learn collocations so they stick

1. Learn the noun with its verb. In your notebook, write make a decision, not just decision. When you meet a new noun, look up its verb partner in a learner's dictionary; Cambridge Dictionary's grammar page Collocation: do or make? is a good reference.
2. Group by topic, as in this article, so related phrases support each other in memory.
3. Make your own sentences about your life: I do the shopping on Sundays. I made a big decision last year. Personal sentences are easier to remember.
4. Say them aloud. Collocations are chunks of sound as well as words. Use the free Speaking Lab to practise rhythm and stress.
5. Notice them in reading. Every time you see make or do in an article, underline the noun after it. Our guide on learning vocabulary through reading explains how. Our article on learning vocabulary in chunks explains why this works.
6. Test yourself after a week with a gap-fill like the quiz above. Cambridge English also has a free do or make activity at B2 level.

What this article cannot tell you

• Every collocation. There are hundreds of make and do combinations. This list focuses on 20 that are especially useful for adult learners in everyday life and work. The selection is editorial, not based on a frequency count.
• Every regional variant. British and American English sometimes prefer different verbs (do a course and take a course; do sport and play sports). Both are correct in their own variety. See British vs American English.
• Whether your own sentences sound natural. Collocations are hard to self-check. A teacher or a structured course, such as our General English courses, can tell you quickly.