Make and Do
for Roxana Larco of Peru

If you ask 'What are you making?' the response will be 'a cake', 'a dress', 'rice balls', 'sandwiches'.
You want to know the result of the activity you see and the response will probably be a noun!!!!

If you ask 'What are you doing?' the response will be something like this: 'phoning a friend' or 'playing solitaire' or 'having a rest' or 'Packing because I'm leaving'! The answer will be an activity. The answer will be a Verb plus -ing, (or possibly 'Nothing')!

Practice Activity 1.

Group these words with 'make' or 'do':
e.g. 'noise' goes with 'make' as in 'Don't make a noise'.
e.g. 'homework' goes with 'do', 'I can't go out. I've got to do my homework'.

Make or Do?
a mistake, an exam, a test, housework, peace, war, love, harm, good, a mess, a proposal (of marriage), business, a crossword, the washing-up , make-up, your hair, bread, spaghetti, up your mind (i.e. decide), a decision, a video or film......

You will find the answer below.

Practice Exercise 2.

'I can't .........up my mind (this is an idiom and it's worth learning the words all together) what to.... I have to ........ a lot of tests and exams at the University and when I'm at home I have to......my homework and, on top of that, I also.... the housework, the cooking, and the washing-up. I don't mind cooking - I like .......cakes, and bread and pasta, but I hate....... housework. I want a job where I can ..... good, for a charity, for example.
All my boyfriend wants to.... is to get married,....love,.....babies, and sit around ..... nothing, ....a mess while I go to work and look after him. I'm not....it. It would ..... him no harm to help me. I.....a mistake when I left home to live with him. Should I go back to my parents? Should I give up University? What should I...?'     Rina of Indonesia.

Answers to Practice Exercise 1: you make a mistake, peace, war, love, a mess, a proposal, bread, spaghetti, make up your mind, a decision, a video or film.
you do: an exam, a test, housework, harm, good, business, a crossword, the washing-up, make-up, your hair.

Answer to Practice Exercise 2.
'I can't make up my mind what to do. I have to do a lot of tests and exams at the University and when I'm at home I have to do my homework and, on top of that, I also do the housework, the cooking, and the washing-up. I don't mind cooking - I like making cakes, and bread and pasta, but I hate doing housework. I want a job where I can do (some) good, for a charity, for example.
All my boyfriend wants to do is to get married, make love, make babies, and sit around doing nothing, making a mess while I go to work and look after him. I'm not doing it! It would do him no harm to help me. I made a mistake when I left home to live with him. Should I go back to my parents? Should I give up University? What should I do?' Rina of Indonesia.

see The A - Z of English Grammar & Usage for the rules.

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