To Do vs. To Make

To Do vs. To Make To Do vs. To Make To Do vs. To Make By Maeve Maddox Pointing out that some languages, like Russian, have only one verb to express the meanings of English make and do, a reader requests a little guidance: Please could you explain the difference between the verbs â€Å"to do† and â€Å"to make.† Is there some kind of formula or method? Would that I could postulate some foolproof rule for knowing when to use do and when to use make. Some general guidelines do exist, but for many of the idioms, memorization is the ESL speaker’s only recourse. Generally speaking, the verb do and its forms are used to talk about duties, jobs, or leisure activities: England expects that every man will do his duty. Who does your hair? He’s doing time for assault. She can’t do enough for that lay-about husband of hers. Jake does the crossword every morning on the train. Have you done your homework? The verb make is used to talk about constructing, creating, or performing something: The company has made an offer on a new building. Excuse me while I make a phone call. The child made a face behind the teacher’s back. The builders are making progress on the house. Time is running out; we must make a decision now. We tried to move without making a noise. It’s possible to use do with an adverb: I hope he will do well there. He did badly in his last job. Make is usually followed by a noun: make the bed make amends make a mistake make a visit make a speech Exceptions are the idioms â€Å"to make nice† (behave in an agreeable manner), and â€Å"to make do† (get along with what one has†): His mother told him to make nice with the neighbor’s children. As we haven’t the money for a new car, we shall have to make do with this one. A great many expressions that are used with make can be rephrased with verbs that correspond to the noun that follows make or with another verb: to make a confession > to confess to make a visit > to visit to make a suggestion > to suggest to make a face > to grimace to make believe > to imagine Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of Adjectives25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)Neither... or?