Do or Make? That is the question!

Hi there. Today I am going to talk about some uses of the verbs DO and MAKE. The two verbs are often confused. The meaning are similar, but there are differences. In Portuguese DO and MAKE means FAZER but sometimes there are other uses. So, let's see some details about these verbs:

DO for activities: 

Use the verb DO to express daily activities or jobs. Notice that these are usually activities that produce no physical object.

Do the homework. Fazer a lição de casa.

Do the housework. Fazer as tarefas domésticas.

Do the ironing. Passar roupa.

Do the dishes. Lavar a louça.

Do a job. Fazer um trabalho.

DO for general ideas:

Use the verb DO when speaking about things in general. In other words, when we do not exactly name an activity. This form is often used with the words something, anything, everything etc.

I'm not doing anything today. Eu não estou fazendo nada hoje.

He does everything for his mother. Ele faz de tudo para sua mãe.

She's doing nothing at the moment. Ela não está fazendo nada no momento.

Important expressions with DO:

There are a number of standard expressions that take the verb DO. These are standard collocations (verb + noun combinations) that are used in English.

Do one's best. Fazer o melhor possível.

Do good. Fazer o bem.

Do harm. Fazer o mal.

Do a favor. Fazer um favor.

Do business. Fazer negócios.

MAKE for constructing, building, creating:

Use MAKE to express an activity that creates something that you can touch.

Make food. Fazer comida.

Make a cup of tea/ coffee. Fazer um copo de chá / café.

Make a mess. Fazer uma bagunça.

Important expressions with MAKE:

There are a number of standard expressions that take the verb MAKE. These are standard collocations (verb + noun combinations) that are used in English.

Make plans. Fazer planos.

Make an exception. Fazer uma exceção.

Make arrangements. Fazer um acordo.

Make a telephone call. Fazer uma ligação.

Make a decision. Tomar uma decisão.

Make a mistake. Cometer um erro.

Make noise. Fazer barulho.

Make money. Ganhar dinheiro.

Make an excuse. Arranjar uma desculpa.

Make an effort. Fazer um esforço.

Take the quiz Make or Do?

That's it! Any questions give a comment.

Source: http://esl.about.com

Categories: GRAMÁTICA