Commonly Used Phrases
with Do and Make

1. The verb do is used in the following phrases:

do an assignment Please do all your assignments as neatly as possible.
do one's best If you always try to do your best, you'll do well.
do business with No one likes to have to do business with dishonest people.
do a calculation Would you like to do these calculations with my calculator?
do a chore On Saturdays, he tries to do all his chores in the morning and run his errands in the
afternoon.
do the cleaning (or the cooking, the washing, etc.)When do you usually do the cleaning?
do a dance The children are now going to do a dance. Let's watch.
do the dishes I'm not going to do the dishes; I'm just going to put them in the sink and let them
soak.
do an exercise How long does it usually take to do an exercise?
do a favor Please do me a favor and don't tell this secret to anyone.
do one's hair (usually in reference to women)Does your mother do her hair herself, or does she
go to a beauty salon?
do one's homework Do your homework every day, and you'll always do well in class.
do the hunting A female lion does all the hunting; the male never does.
do a job When he does a job, he almost always does it well.
do the laundry A lot of people like to do the laundry on Mondays.
do a problem I'm trying to do these problems for my algebra class, and they're not easy. Note:
"To do a problem" means "to solve a problem"; "to make a problem" means "to create a problem":
Please don't make so many problems for yourself.
do a puzzle If you can do this puzzle, I'll give you a hundred dollars.
do a quiz How long does it usually take you to do a quiz?
do research How much pure research does your company do?
do something for someone Her rich brother doesn't ever do anything for her.
do studying I've got a lot of studying to do today-I can't waste a minute.
do taxes He's looking for a good accountant to do his taxes. Note: "To make taxes" means "to
create taxes."
do one's work Mr. Tracy, would you please do your work and stop complaining?

The verb make is used in the following phrases:

make an appointment What's the best time for you to make an appointment?
make an arrangement Who's responsible for making the final arrangements?
make a bed My roommate knows how to make her bed, but she never does.
make believe, "pretend."Children like to make believe they are adults.
make a bet Would you like to make a bet with me? I'll give you the odds.
make a cake I'm having guests for dinner, so I'm making a cake.
make a call How often do you make a long-distance call?
make a change We'd like to make a few changes around here.
make change (for money)Our little boy doesn't know how to make change yet.
make a commitment He refuses to make a commitment; he's not sure of himself.
make a comparison Professor Smith often makes incorrect comparisons.
make a date (an appointment)How would you like to make a date with a movie star?
make a deal Let's make a deal; if you wash the dishes, I'll dry.
make a decision My boss and I have to make critical decisions every day.
make a difference Would you like to go out or stay home tonight? It doesn't really make a
difference.
make a discovery Young children, who are explorers, make new discoveries every day.
make do "manage with little available"We don't have much money; we'll just have to make do.
Make do with what you've got and be happy.


make an error Does your roommate make many errors when he speaks English?
make an excuse I hope my boss isn't there when I get to the office late; I don't want to have to
make any excuses.
make a face "change the appearance of one's face"Jimmy, why did you make such an ugly face
when I asked you that question?
make a fool of Don't let anybody make a fool of you.
make friends It's often difficult to make friends in a large, strange city.
make friendships On a trip we often make friendships that don't last very long.
make fun of Children, don't make fun of people less fortunate than you.
make good Jane Sills is a woman who's always made good her promises.
make an impression If you want to make a good impression at a job interview, don't chew gum
or smoke.
make an improvement Many improvements have been made in our company recently.
make a list Barbara always makes a shopping list, but she always loses it.
make a living With inflation and high taxes, it isn't so easy to make a living these days.
make love (have sexual relations)The signs the anti-war marchers were carrying said, "Make
love, not war."
make a mistake He's made a great many mistakes, but he's learned from them.
make money A lot of people are looking for a way to make money without working.
make a movie It can cost millions of dollars to make a movie.
make a noise Children, please don't make any noise; your father is resting.
make peace Let's make peace; it's stupid to fight.
make a plan Let's make plans for our vacation now; summer is coming soon.
make a plane (train, bus), " catch a plane."I'm in a big hurry to the airport; I've got to make a plane
to Chicago.
make a problem Please don't make any problems for me; I've already got enough.
make progress The class has been in session for only a few days, and the students have
already made a lot of progress.
make a promise (or resolution or vow)They're always making promises, but they never keep
them.
make a speech No one made any speeches last night after dinner, fortunately.
make a statement Has the President made any statements concerning the recent scandal in
the government.
make a toast "drink to"Ladies and Gentlemen, let's make a toast to our leader. Note: Do not
confuse "make a toast" with "make toast":Do you always make toast at breakfast?
make trouble Those boys are always making trouble; they're real troublemakers.
make a try Don't give up yet; you'll hit the target. Make another try.
make a turn When you get to the intersection, don't make a right turn, make a left.
make war Those two countries are always making war with each other.