Do and Make grammar rules
“You will just have to MAKE DO.” Make do is an idiom. Grammatically, it is a verb phrase, and it means to use what one has on hand or to persevere through non-ideal circumstances. For example, “We’ve lost a lot of supplies, but we’ll make do with what we have,” said the soldier.
Do for GENERAL GOOD OR BAD ACTIONS:
Do anything/something/everything/nothing“Are you doing anything special for the Christmas period?”
“Allow me to give you some help. You can’t do everything by yourself.”
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do well
I think I did pretty well in my probation time.
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do badly
Everyone did badly on the examination – the highest result was 61%.
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do good
The local church has done a lot of good in the community.
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do the right thing
When I found a woman’s purse on the pavement, I gave it in to the police station, because I wanted to do the right thing.
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do your best
Don’t worry about getting 100% on the test – just do your best.
WORK / STUDY:
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do work
I can’t go out this weekend – I have to do some work on my business project.
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do homework
You can’t play any Golf until you’ve done your Tax return and it is finished.
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do business
We do business with companies in five countries.
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do a good/great/terrible job
They did a great job organizing the Wedding party.
(In this expression, “job” doesn’t necessarily refer to work, it could mean ‘task’. It simply means the person did the task/something well). “You did a good job cutting the grass.”
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do a report
I’m doing a report on the history of Assembly line management.
(you can also say “writing a report”)
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do a course
We’re doing an MBA course at my local university.
(you can also say “attending or taking a course”)
TAKING CARE OF YOUR BODY:
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do exercise
I do at least two hours of exercise each day.
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do your hair (= style your hair)
I will be ready to go in 10 minutes – I just need to do my hair and then we can go.
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do your nails (= paint your nails)
Can you open this tin of Tuna fish for me, please? I just did my nails and they’re still wet.
Common English Collocations with MAKE:
FOOD
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make breakfast/lunch/dinner
I’m making dinner – it’ll be ready in about half an hour.
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make a sandwich
Could you make me a Tuna and egg sandwich, please?
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make a salad
I made a fruit salad for the church picnic on Sunday.
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make a cup of tea
Would you like me to make you a pot of Earl Grey tea or just a cup of tea?
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make a reservation
We’ve made a reservation for 6:30 pm at our favourite Chinese restaurant.
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HOUSEWORK:
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do the housework
After I arrived home from work, It was too late to do my housework.
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do the laundry
I really need to do my family’s laundry – We don’t have any clean clothes left!
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do the dishes
I’ll prepare dinner if you promise to do the dishes afterwards.
(you can also say “Wash the dishes”)
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do the shopping
I went to the post office to buy some stamps, did some shopping, and then I drew some money out of the bank.
EXCEPTION: make the bed = putting blankets, sheets, and pillows in the correct place so that the bed looks good and not to leave it in a messy state.
PLANS & PROGRESS
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Make plans
I’m making plans to travel to Costa Rica in two years’ time.
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make a decision/choice
I’ve made my final decision – I’m going to go to Oxford University, not the dump called Cambridge University where my girlfriend went.
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make a mistake
You made a mistake in your calculations – the correct sum was a total of £99 and not £66.
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make progress
My parrots are making excellent progress. Their spoken English has improved a lot.
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make an attempt/effort (= try)
I’m making an effort to stop drinking alcohol this year, but I am going to start next January.
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make up your mind (= decide)
What do you think? Should I buy a laptop or a desktop computer? I can’t make up my mind.
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make a discovery
Scientists say they have made an important discovery in the area of politics – it doesn’t work!
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make a list
I’m making a list of everything we need for the wedding: lots of money to pay for it, a cake the size of the Eiffel Tower, some crazy invitations written in blood, light decorations, a real live pop band, and if the Bride wants a dress, well…
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make sure (= confirm)
Can you make sure I have enough copies of the financial report?
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make a difference
Getting eight hours of sleep makes a great difference in my week. I have more time to play!
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make an exception
Typically, the professor doesn’t accept any late homework, but he made an exception for me because I’m a pretty girl….
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COMMUNICATION:
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make a phone call
Please be quiet – I need to make a call on the ‘dog’. (Cockney Rhyming Slang for telephone – remember Thomas?)
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make a joke
She made a joke, it was very funny and so we all laughed.
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make a point
Simone made some worthy points during the business meeting; I think we should promote her to Carnival director.
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make a bet
I made a silly bet with Martin that he could turn up on time to the next Zoom meeting. I lost!
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make a complaint
I made a complaint with our internet provider about Facebook’s ridiculous service, but I still haven’t heard back from them as they have banned my account.
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make a confession
I need to make a confession: I was the one who had the bad flatulence in the lift/elevator.
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make a speech
The company MD made a terrible speech about ethics in social media.
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make a suggestion
They cannot make a decision? I think we should have tea and not coffee.
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make a prediction
It’s very difficult to make any absolute predictions concerning the future of the Tech Industry.
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make an excuse
When we asked the Government if they’d finished making plans for the increase in retirement benefits, they just started making excuses about how they were too busy increasing politicians’ salaries.
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make a promise
I made a promise to help them whenever they needed it.
(you can also say, “I promised to help her whenever she needs it.”)
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make a fuss (= demonstrate annoyance)
Stop making a fuss you’ve got another leg you can hop around on that.
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make an observation
I’d like to make an observation about our holiday plans – I’m not set on Rome, so we can go to Costa Rica.
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make a comment
The professor made some critical comments on her final essay.
EXCEPTION: Don’t say “make a question.” The correct phrase is “ask a question.”
MONEY:
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make money
I enjoy watching other people working, but I don’t make very much noise as I watch.
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make a profit
The Start-up company made a huge profit within its final year.
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make a fortune
I made an absolute fortune after my book,” Lydia: Lord Lyndsay’s Inheritance” became the number one bestseller in the book market.
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make £’s
I made £25,000 selling my books on Amazon.
RELATIONSHIPS:
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make friends
It’s very hard to make friends when you’re a Hedgehog, no one wants to hug you, because no one wants to bleed.
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make love (to have sexual intercourse)
The newlyweds made love on their honeymoon on the moon after Blue Origin took them there by rocket.
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make a pass at (to flirt with someone)
My friend’s sister made a pass at me – flirting outrageously on the dance floor, making suggestive movements with her whole body.
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make fun of someone (to tease/mock someone)
The other children made fun of the Aardvark when it ate the ants from an Anthill with its very long tongue.
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make up (to resolve a problem in a relationship)
Bill and Donald made up after their big fight of the TV political debate last year.
Quote of the week 1: Zitat der Woche 1:
“Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important.”
— Jaachynma N.E. Agu.
Quote of the week 2: Zitat der Woche 2:
Lord Russell said (according to Jack Hargreaves), “You can ruin almost anything if you try and make it available to everybody.”
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