Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule in English concerning the
use of make and do. A guideline however could be use:
'Do' for daily activities or jobs. Notice
that these are usually activities that produce no physical
object.
‘Do’ when speaking about things in general. In other words, when we do
not exactly name an activity. This form is often used with the words
'something, nothing, anything, everything, etc: I'm not doing anything today. He does everything for his
mother.
She's doing nothing at the moment.
She's doing nothing at the moment.
'Make' for Constructing, Building, Creating.
Use 'make' to express an activity that creates something that you can
touch.
make food make a cup of tea /
coffee make a mess
The following table
gives a list of some of the most frequently used expressions.
MAKE
|
DO
|
money
|
business
|
a discovery
|
research
|
arrangements/plans
|
a degree/a course
|
an enquiry
|
your homework/the housework
|
a speech/a
declaration/a statement
|
a translation
|
an appointment
|
a good job
|
a suggestion/an
excuse/a complaint
|
work
|
a difference/an exception
|
somebody a favour/a
good turn
|
an effort
|
without something
|
progress
|
damage
|
a mistake
|
good/harm/justice
|
an impression
|
well/badly
|
sure/certain
|
one's best
|
room for something
(find place for something)
|
work
|
fun of something/somebody
|
the crosswords
|
EXERCISES
1.
If you set up a business, it's generally to _______ money.
2.
I can't give the answer right away.
I'll have to ______ some research.
3.
I'm very pleased with the result.
You ______ a great job!
4.
When I ________ a mistake, my teacher corrects me and explains why.
5.
What are you studying? I'm
__________ a degree in history.
6.
You'll have to work hard if you want to ________ progress.
7.
Stop ________ fun of my accent - it's not my fault!
8.
It doesn't have to be perfect - just ______ your best.
9.
I've got a toothache. I'm going
to ring the dentist to __________ an appointment.
10.
It’s not easy to _________ business with people of different
nationalities.
ANSWERS:
1.
If you set up a business, it's generally to make money.
2.
I can't give the answer right away.
I'll have to do some
research.
3.
I'm very pleased with the result.
You did a great job!
4.
When I make a mistake,
my teacher corrects me and explains why.
5.
What are you studying? I'm doing a degree in history.
6.
You'll have to work hard if you want to make progress.
7.
Stop making fun of my
accent - it's not my fault!
8.
It doesn't have to be perfect - just do
your best.
9.
I've got a toothache. I'm going to
ring the dentist to make an
appointment.
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