Make or Do? Master 15+ English Collocations for Everyday Life (A2)

Ever thought, “Do I make my homework or do my homework?” You’re not alone! In English, we use special word partners called collocations: common word pairs that sound natural together. Today, you’ll learn when to use make and when to use do, practice with real-life phrases, and speak more naturally in daily conversations.

What’s a collocation?

A collocation is a pair or group of words that go together often. For example: “do homework,” “make a decision.” Both make and do can mean “perform/create,” but they join different kinds of words.

English
I have to do my homework before dinner.
Task/activity you perform.
English
Let’s make a plan for the weekend.
You create a result: a plan.
English
She made a mistake in her email.
A result (a mistake) was created.
🧠 Quick Check: Make or Do?

High-frequency collocations you’ll actually use

Here are everyday phrases with make and do. Learn them as whole chunks, not single words.

do homework
to study or complete school work at home
verb phrase
I always do my homework after dinner.
I complete my school work.
do housework
to clean and take care of the home
verb phrase
He does the housework on Saturdays.
He cleans and organizes the home.
do the dishes (US) / do the washing-up (UK)
to wash plates, cups, etc.
verb phrase
I’ll do the dishes after lunch.
I will wash the plates.
do the laundry
to wash and dry clothes
verb phrase
She does the laundry on Sundays.
She washes and dries the clothes.
do exercise / do a workout
to exercise
verb phrase
They do exercise every morning.
They work out every morning.
make the bed
to arrange the bed after sleeping
verb phrase
I make the bed when I wake up.
I arrange the sheets and pillows.
make a mistake
to do something wrong
verb phrase
It’s okay to make a mistake.
It is okay to be wrong sometimes.
make a decision
to decide
verb phrase
We need to make a decision today.
We must decide today.
make a phone call
to call someone by phone
verb phrase
He made a phone call to his boss.
He called his boss.
make a plan / make plans
to plan something
verb phrase
Let’s make plans for Friday.
Let’s plan for Friday.
make money
to earn money
verb phrase
She makes money by selling art.
She earns money by selling art.
make friends
to become friends with people
verb phrase
It’s easy to make friends at club meetings.
It’s easy to meet new friends at club meetings.

I need to a plan for my trip.

house home work activity/task

Culture note: UK vs. US

  • After a meal, Americans usually say “do the dishes.” In the UK, you’ll hear “do the washing-up.” Both mean washing plates.
  • In the UK, people often say “make a cup of tea.” In the US, both “make tea” and “make coffee” are common.
  • For shopping, British speakers may say “do the shopping” (weekly food shopping). Americans often say “go grocery shopping.” Both are natural in their context.
💬 Planning the weekend

Word order practice

Try building a natural sentence with a make-collocation.

🔠 Put the words in order

Start with the subject “I.”

Little grammar reminder: he/she/it

In the present simple, he/she/it takes -s. With do and make:

  • he/she/it does (not do)
  • he/she/it makes (not make)
do present simple Irregular
Pronoun Conjugation
I do
you do
he/she/it does
we do
you (pl) do
they do
make present simple
Pronoun Conjugation
I make
you make
he/she/it makes
we make
you (pl) make
they make
He do the laundry on Sunday. → He does the laundry on Sunday. Third person singular → **does**. I did a mistake in the test. → I made a mistake in the test. We say **make a mistake**, not *do a mistake*. We made our homework before dinner. → We did our homework before dinner. Use **do** for homework (a task).

She usually the laundry on Sundays.

🧠 Final practice: Sound natural

Quick summary

  • Use do for tasks and duties: do homework, do housework, do the dishes, do the laundry, do exercise.
  • Use make for things/results you create: make the bed, make a mistake, make a decision, make a phone call, make a plan, make friends.

Practice these as full phrases. The more you notice collocations in shows, podcasts, and conversations, the more natural you’ll sound.

You’re doing great—now make a plan to review tomorrow: 5 minutes to re-read the cards and re-do one quiz. Small steps make big progress!