I want to rewind for just a second, and I want you to think back to your earliest English classes.
You might remember learning about your daily routine in English with things like make the bed, do the dishes and do the laundry.
And maybe at that time you even thought, why do we say make the bed, not do the bed?
Because after all, they mean exactly the same thing.
It's a daily chore or a kind of routine action.
But here's the answer to that question, collocations.
I know it sounds like a grammar textbook word and I guess it is, but collocations are not about grammar rules.
They're about rhythm.
They're the natural word pairings that English speakers use without even thinking about it.
And they just sound right when we hear them, like to make a mistake or to do your best.
Now I know that you're already comfortable with these really basic collocations using make and do.
Make the bed, do the laundry, make a mistake.
So today we're going to go even deeper.
We're going to explore the most common and the most advanced collocations with make and do that English speakers use every day, so that you can speak up in English with clarity, accuracy and confidence and without second guessing yourself, feeling those uncertain moments of mistakes.
Now, before we jump into all of this, I do want to give you a quick strategy to use when you're not really sure which verb to choose.
Should you use make or do?
And here's how I explain it to my students.
If you're creating something, something new or with a result, use make.
Think about collocations like make a decision, make a mistake, make progress.
And then if you're doing a task or performing an action, the verb is usually do.
Think about to do research, to do a project, to do your best.
Now, this is not a perfect rule.
Again, collocations are not grammar rules.
They don't follow logic.
But this simple distinction can help you feel more confident when you're speaking.
So, with that in mind, Let's look at the collocations that come up the most often, especially in professional situations, daily conversations and really any situation where you want to express yourself clearly.
We're going to start with collocations using make.
The collocations that we focus on here are going to connect mostly to topics of work and personal growth.
For example, to make an impression.
This means to create a specific opinion about yourself in someone else's mind.
For example, she made a lasting impression during the interview.
Now, whether it's a job interview or a networking event or your first day at work, Making a strong impression matters.
The next one on our list is to make headway.
This one means to make progress, especially on something that is challenging.
For example, we're finally making headway on the budget presentation.
This is a great way to talk about slow but steady progress. on any project or goal you might have.
And now our next one, to make a breakthrough.
This means to have a big, often unexpected success or discovery.
For example, the team made a breakthrough on the new marketing strategy.
You'll often hear this collocation in business, science, and tech.
On top of that, you might also hear the collocations to experience a breakthrough or to have a breakthrough.
And now here's a collocation that I think all of us can relate to.
To make ends meet.
It means having just enough money to cover your basic needs.
For example, it's getting harder and harder to And, speaking of this, if the topic of finance or the economy interests you, I've got a full lesson on economic vocabulary.
So if you want to take a look, I'll leave a link to that lesson down below.
And finally, in this group of collocations is to make a name for yourself.
This means to become well known and respected in your field or industry.
For example, after just one year in her role, she's already made a name for herself.
This is a great way to describe personal success, reputation, or career growth.
Now let's shift just a little bit.
We're still going to focus on collocations that use make, but these specific examples most often show up in conversations on communication and relationships.
These are the kinds of phrases that help you talk about effort, connection, or emotional clarity.
The first is to make contact.
This means to start communication with someone.
For example, we'll make contact with the client later this week.
This is perfect for emails, work updates, or planning.
Next is to make an effort.
This one is simple, but rather powerful because it means that you're trying intentionally.
For example, he's really making an effort to improve his English.
We often use this to acknowledge someone's progress and dedication.
And now to make amends.
This means doing something to fix a mistake or repair a relationship.
For example, after saying something hurtful to someone, you might say I want to make amends for what I said yesterday.
It's a particularly helpful phrase when talking about apologies or reconciliation, both in personal and professional circumstances.
And next, to make the most of this means to take full advantage of a situation or an opportunity.
For example, if you've invested a lot to attend a conference, you might say let's make the most of our time at this conference.
In other words, you wanna get as much as you can from this opportunity and investment.
And finally, to make sense of.
This means trying to understand something that feels confusing or complex.
For example, it took me a while to make sense of the contract.
The language they used was really confusing.
This is particularly useful when you're talking about paperwork, data or even trying to figure out your own thoughts.
Now, before we move on to do, I want you to take a moment to consider.
Which of these collocations have you heard before, but maybe you don't really use them in your conversations.
I want you to write down the top two or three that you'd like to start using regularly in your English conversations.
And now let's move on to our advanced collocations using do, especially ones that we use when talking about work responsibilities, support and daily effort.
The first on our list is to do paperwork.
This is used anytime you're completing documents, forms, or administrative work.
For example, we had to do a ton of paperwork after the offer on our house was accepted.
If you work in an office, manage a project or deal with anything legal or financial, you've probably done your fair share of paperwork.
And now next is to do a project.
This means to work on and complete a planned activity or a piece of work.
For example, at school we had to do a project on ancient Rome.
This particular collocation is common both at school and in workplace settings, especially in teams or collaborative environments.
And now to do overtime.
This means working more hours than your normal schedule.
For example, the manager had to do overtime to meet the deadline.
You might also hear this used casually in conversations like I've been doing so much overtime lately.
I really need a break.
And then next on our list is to do business.
This means to engage in buying, selling or negotiating, usually in professional settings.
For example, we've been doing business with that company for over a decade.
You'll often hear this in business meetings and discussions about contracts or in international work environments.
And then finally for this group is to do research.
This one is particularly important in professional, academic and decision making contexts.
For example, I need to do more research before I decide which treatment is best.
Now to help you remember this one, because I very often hear to make research, I want to give you a visual picture.
Imagine that you've got multiple browser tabs open on your computer, laptop.
You're reading some reviews, checking some news sources, comparing options again multiple tabs open.
This is doing research.
And now let's shift a little bit to collocations that focus on helping others and fulfilling responsibilities, the kinds of actions that show character, contribution and care.
The first is to do a favor.
This means to help someone out when they ask for support.
For example, someone might ask you, could you do me a favor and switch shifts with me on Friday?
Next is to do your duty.
This means to fulfill your responsibilities or obligations, especially civic or moral ones.
For example, every citizen should do their duty and vote during election time.
And now to do your share.
This means to contribute fairly in a group effort.
For example, if everyone does their share, we'll finish cleaning the store sooner.
It's a great phrase to use when you're talking about teamwork or family responsibilities.
Next up is to do good.
This one means to have a positive impact and to help others in a meaningful way.
For example, after retiring, my neighbor decided to volunteer and do good in her community.
And finally, similar to that is to do a kindness.
This means to perform an act of generosity or compassion.
For example, the kids did a kindness for the seniors in their neighborhood by shoveling snow from their driveways.
Now, this one isn't as common in speech as some of the others, but it's definitely a beautiful, warm and sincere collocation.
Okay, I wanna go back to something we talked about earlier.
The fact that collocations don't always follow the rules.
In fact, I think it's important to remember that collocations are not grammar rules.
They are simply words that we often use together and they sound right.
I did share some general guidelines to follow if you're trying to choose between make or do, but there are some collocations that confuse even the most advanced English learners.
Because in the end, both options might sound right.
This is where collocations stop following that logic and instead they follow habit or what sounds right.
And once you know what a collocation should sound like.
Once you start listening for it, you'll begin to recognize it everywhere.
So I want to share with you a couple of confusing or tricky pairs of collocations.
The first is Make a decision versus do a calculation.
When you make a decision, you're creating a choice or choosing an option among several.
For example, we need to make a decision about the new hire by Friday.
But when you do a calculation, you're performing a process or a task.
It's more mechanical or technical.
For example, let me do the calculation to see what will be the new cost.
The next tricky pair is to make a plan versus to do some planning.
And this one is subtle.
When you make a plan, you're creating a specific idea or strategy.
For example, let's make a plan for our vacation.
But when you do some planning, you're in the process, you're working on it.
For example, I spent all afternoon doing planning for the conference.
And next make money versus to do a transaction.
To make money means to earn or generate income.
For example, she made a lot of money selling on Etsy.
And then to do a transaction means to perform the act of buying or selling, for example.
You can do this transaction online or in person.
And finally, to make a mess versus to do damage.
You make a mess when you create disorder or untidiness for example, the kids made a total mess in the kitchen and then You do damage when you cause harm or destruction.
For example, the storm did serious damage to the roof.
So now, when it comes to speaking up in English and using these expressions that either use make or do, what should you do if you're feeling unsure?
The first thing I want you to do is pause and ask yourself am I creating something or am I performing a task or an action?
This quick question can help guide you toward the right verb more often than you think.
And if you're still not sure, don't worry.
You can always rephrase it and just avoid using those verbs.
For example, instead of saying I did research, you could say I spent time researching or I looked into it more.
That way you're still in the conversation and you can keep your confidence going forward.
Now to finish this lesson for today, I've got a quiz for you.
In a moment, I'm going to give you a sentence with a missing verb and your job is to decide should it be make or do.
It's important to really think about the sentence, because you might also have to change the grammar tense.
So think about whether it is a verb that should be in the basic form, or the past tense, or the simple tense, et cetera.
The first is I need to, a decision about our next steps.
What do you think?
Should it be make or do?
If you said make, you're absolutely right.
We make a decision.
Again, because you're creating or choosing something.
Number two is don't forget to your best during the presentation.
Take a moment to think about it.
Hopefully you chose do, to do your best, because you're performing an action.
And here's number three.
She's been working overtime to ends meet.
This one is make.
Again, the collocation is to make ends meet, and it means having enough money to cover your expenses.
And now number four.
He had to...
A lot of paperwork before finalizing the deal.
The answer is do.
To do paperwork.
Again, because it's a task or a routine activity.
And here's your last one.
We really want to the most of this opportunity.
If you chose make, you're absolutely right.
To make the most of something means to take full advantage of it.
How did you do?
You can let me know in the comments.
And don't forget, you can always share your examples with me as well.
Simply select one or two collocations that you really want to add to your regular English conversations and then try to use it in your own sentence.
You can share it with me if you want to, and then also be intentional about using that collocation as much as you can during the next few days.
Recently I actually did a full lesson with a five-minute routine that will help you not just learn, but also remember and use new phrasal verbs.
You can use that exact same routine to help you remember and use these collocations.
So I recommend that you check out that lesson next.
If you found this particular lesson helpful to you, please be sure to let me know, and you can do that by subscribing, so you never miss one of my Confident English lessons.
Thank you so much for joining me, and I look forward to next time.
