Do or make?

It is not always easy to choose between "do" and "make".

Do can be an auxiliary verb (Do you like coffee?) or a main verb (I did my homework yesterday.). As an auxiliary verb, it has no meaning. It is necessary only for the grammatical structure. As a main verb it has a meaning, but the meaning is rather general. It often expresses a general activity.

Make is not an auxiliary verb. It is always a main verb (I made a cake yesterday.). Its meaning is also rather general, but it often expresses the idea of construction or creation.

In this lesson we look at some guidelines that may help you:



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Do for general activity
When we talk about a general activity but do not say what it is, we can use do:
I want to do something.
What are you doing this evening?
What can we do?
Do it now!
Do for work
We usually use do to talk about work:
What do you do? (= What is your job?)
Who does your shopping?
I don't want to do any work today.
I hate doing the washing up.
Have you done your homework?
Note that we sometimes use do to replace another more exact verb (but only when the meaning is clear from the situation). This is very informal.
do the lawn (cut/mow? sow? the lawn)
do my room (tidy? paint? my room)
do the car (wash? paint? repair? the car)
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Make for construction
Make often expresses the idea of construction or creation:
I'll make a cake for Anthony's birthday.
This car was made in France.
Did you make this table yourself?
Tip
Remember that we usually use make for products or goods that are manufactured. That's why you see labels like "Made in Hong Kong" or "Made in the USA" on products that you buy.
Now compare:
Do the shopping. (We don't really create anything. We just "do" an activity.)
Make a cake. (We really create something.)
In the next example, notice how we use make for creation (the cake) and then use do (for the general activity) even though we're really talking about the same thing:
I must make Anthony's cake. I'll do it now.
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Here are some expressions that you should learn. Notice that we use make more often than do:
do good
do harm
do well
do badly
do a favour
do business
make an offer
make a suggestion
make a decision
make a complaint
make a demand
make an attempt
make an effort
make an excuse
make an exception
make a mistake
make a noise
make a phone call
make money
make a profit
make a loss
make love
make peace
make war
make a bed (usually this means "tidy the bedclothes" but it could mean "manufacture the furniture")
A very popular expression: Make Love not War
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