Make or do? Make a mistake, do your homework

The rule

Use make when you create or produce something: make a mistake, make a decision, make a phone call, make breakfast. Use do for tasks, work and activities: do homework, do exercise, do the shopping, do your best.

French uses faire for both (faire une erreur, faire ses devoirs), and Arabic often uses one general verb too, so learners guess and say do a mistake or make my homework. There is no perfect rule, so learn the common pairs as chunks.

Examples

In a conversation

A: Can you do the shopping today? I'll make dinner.

B: OK, but first I need to make a phone call.

A: No problem. Did you do your homework?

B: Yes, and I did my best!

Practice

Choose the best answer. The answers are at the end of the lesson.

1. Sorry, I ___ a mistake. The meeting is on Tuesday.
   • a) did
   • b) made
   • c) had
2. Can you ___ the shopping after work?
   • a) do
   • b) make
   • c) go
3. Please be quiet, I'm ___ my homework.
   • a) making
   • b) having
   • c) doing

Tip

Not sure? Do goes with general words: do something, do nothing, do the same. And these take make: make a cake, make a plan, make a noise.

Answers

1. b) made. We say make a mistake: made.
2. a) do. Do the shopping, or go shopping (no the).
3. c) doing. Homework is a task: do.

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