Do & make Make to create, produce or construct something: He made a delicious cake. to cause to be or happen: He made himself king. to force someone to do something: She made him do his homework. Do to perform certain tasks and activities: He did his homework. I did the cleaning / housework / ironing / cooking.. to perform actions which bring about a desired result: She's doing her nails / hair / room. to talk about progress: How is she doing at school: There are also certain fixed phrases with make and do: Do your best    business    research    your duty    a deal a degree / course    (someone) a favour    some work Make a mistake    your bed    sure (that)    an effort    a noise an arrangement    money / love / war    your mind up More There is no simple rule for when to use make or do. Generally you make something that did not exist before: you make lunch/ trouble/ peace/ a noise/ a plan/ a joke/ a mistake/ a speech/ a promise. But other verbs are used in phrases like these: I asked a question. | He gave an answer. | We nearly had an accident. Make is also used when someone or something is changed in some way: She made him comfortable. | He made a success of it. | They made friends. | How much money did Shane make? But They did a lot of harm/damage. When travel is involved, it is safer to use go: They went shopping/for a picnic/on vacation/on a trip. But you can also say: They did the shopping and They made a trip to Boston. You do other actions: They did some exercises/some research/a test/the TOEFL exam. | Would you do me a favour? But you make fun of someone, make use of something, and make an effort/attempt/start. Sometimes you would use take instead - you take a class/take a look at something/take a ride on something. Do is especially frequent with words that describe work and activities, often ending in -ing: Her husband does all the shopping and cooking. exercises home