Verb phrases with: ‚DO‘ and ‚MAKE‘

do homework (She’s doing her homework right now.)

do the housework / gardening (I do housework every Saturday.)

do a sport / exercise (He doesn’t do any sports.)

do the washing up (Go and do the washing up, please.)

do the shopping (We need to do the shopping for the weekend.)

do a subject (Maths, English, etc.) at school (She’s doing French this term.)

do the accounts (My mum is doing my accounts.)

do a course in ICT/ psychology, etc. (I’d like to do a course in counselling.)

do one’s best (I did my best to pass the test)

do drugs (= take drugs) (Don’t do drugs. They’ll kill you in the end.)

do some work (Stop hanging about and do some work.)

do the right thing (It’s not always easy to do the right thing.)

do research (They’re doing some more research on ADHD.)

do well/badly (We all did really badly in the Maths exam.)

Make

make breakfast/lunch/dinner/a cake (I’ve made breakfast for you.)

make some tea/ coffee/ a drink (Can you make some tea, please?)

make progress/ headway (We haven’t made any progress in the negotiations.)

make a choice (As a manager, you’ll have to make difficult choices.)

make friends/ enemies (Don’t try to make many enemies, please.)

make a difference (She’s trying to make a difference in her new role as a magistrate.)

make a deal (agree on a contract = They made a deal with the unions on a pay rise)

make a trip (Last weekend we made a trip to the mountains.)

make money (=earn money)

make a mistake (I made a couple of mistakes in my last progress test.)

make a plan (Let’s make a plan before we hit the road, shall we?)

make love (= to have a sexual intercourse)

make concessions (We all have to make concessions in a relationship.)

make arrangements (They’ve made arrangements over the phone.)

make a speech (= give/deliver a speech)

make a decision (Managers have to make quick decisions.)

make trouble/ a noise/ problems/ a mess

make an effort (= to try)

make notes (I forgot to make notes when she spoke.)

make the bed (= tidy up the bed)

make changes (New boss has made a few changes in our office.)

make a list (=write a list)

make a fast/slow recovery (He made a slow recovery after the horrific car crash.)

make a phone call (= call somebody)

make somebody happy/ laugh/ sad (That comedy made me laugh a lot.)

make threats (= to threaten somebody)

make gossips ( Stop making gossips about me and Jane, please!)

make ill/sick (Food I ate made me sick. I spent all night in the bathroom.)

make jokes (Stop making jokes about Paul’s clothes. It’s not polite.)

make a small talk (British people like to make a small talk to avoid silence.)

make an excuse (Stop making excuses and get on with it.)