Skip to content
Home » English Confusions » Do or make

Do or make

Should we use do or make? What are the differences between do and make? Let’s dive deeper!

We use “do” to talk about jobs and tasks

  • Can you do what I asked please? (Implies a task)
  • Did you do your homework last night?
  • You’re doing odd things right now.

“Do” is used to talk about all activities, anything for which we do not have a name

  • What is she doing?
  • I don’t like what she’s doing.
  • Did you do a noise?
  • What would you like to do?
  • I like to do things in the garden in my spare time.
English courses

We use do + gerund (verb + –ing) to talk about activities that take some time to complete

(We normally used determiners with this construction).

  • Have you done any cycling today?
  • I did some running yesterday.
  • One should do a lot of reading, it’s important.
  • Let’s do some writing.

“Make” is used to talk about ‘constructing’ or ‘creating’

  • We just made a new pastry in the kitchen.
  • Are you making a house?
  • Let’s make a cake, hmm.
  • My stepbrother is making a new apartment building.

Do or make? — exceptions to be learned by heart 

  • Do: exercise, sport, business, good, harm, one’s duty, one’s teeth, one’s hair, one’s best, x amount of Km, a favour.
  • Make: money, a noise, a journey, an offer, a decision, an attempt, love, peace, war, a profit, a fortune, an exception, a mistake, an excuse, a suggestion, a fire, progress, a phone call, an effort, arrangements

See also