To do and to make

The verbs do and make are often confused by nonnative speakers.

• do often has the meaning of “perform a routine or assigned activity.”
• make usually has the sense of producing or creating something.

do your homework

do your best

do business with

do the ironing, washing, cleaning, housework

do the dishes

do exercises

do a favor

do research

do your job

but…

make a donation—make a contribution (in class)

make a mistake--make an error

make friends with

make money

make a noise

make peace—make war

make a plan

make a promise

make a speech

make a turn

make a comparion

make a decision (the British “take” decisions)

make a discovery

and…

To make matters worse, one expression has both! “Make do” means to manage with what is available. (I couldn’t find any cous cous in the store, so I had to make do with rice. I can’t afford to buy a new car this year, so I’m going to have to make do with my old Ford for another year.)

Two idiomatic expressions:

When you ask someone what they do, you are asking what their job is. (I asked Anwar what he does and he said he works at Dunkin’ Donuts.)

When you ask someone what they make or how much they make, you are asking how much money they earn. (How much do you make at the doughnut shop?) By the way, it is very rude to ask an American directly how much they make. You can ask them what they do, but not what they make!

Practice

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