Phrases with make and do

Many students struggle with using make and do correctly in English. There are so many phrases that use one of these words, and although there are some rules that you can apply, generally you just need to remember the phrases which use each one.

As you watch the video below, try to complete the following table with the phrases you hear:

phrases with do	phrases with make
do well	make a mistake
do...	make...

Now that you have learnt the phrases, let’s do some practice.

Use make or do to complete the sentences below. You may need to use them in a different form (e.g. the past tense).

1. I ________ a test earlier. I don’t think I _________ my best, but I don’t think I ________ very well though.

2. David ________ several martial arts. He ________ karate, taekwondo and jiujitsu.

3. I had to ________ a tough decision, but in the end I decided to get the blue jacket.

4. Mum, next time you ________ the shopping, could you get some garlic bread?

5. I ________ my friend a promise. I will help her this weekend.

6. Are you still thinking about selling your old guitar? I’ll ________ you an offer… £50!

7. Can you ________ me a favour? I forgot my money at home. Could you lend me £10?

8. I’m not surprised you got a D in maths. I mean you don’t really ________ an effort, do you?

9. When I finish school, I want to ________ law at university.

10. Can I ________ a suggestion? Why don’t you ask Michelle to the dance?

11. Well done Sarah. This project isn’t quite an A, but I can see you have ________ a lot of progress to get this far.

12. What have I told you about wiping your feet on the mat! Look, you’ve _________ such a mess on the carpet now.

When you’ve finished, check your answers below.

• Answers

  1. did / did / did

  2. does / does

  3. make

  4. do

  5. made

  6. make

  7. do

  8. make

  9. do

  10. make

  11. made

  12. made