Do and make are among the most frequently used verbs in English. It’s no wonder there are so many collocations, or word combinations, with them that we use daily. However, it’s easy to sometimes get them wrong. In this post, we’d like to challenge you with a test to assess your proficiency in using some of the most common collocations. Following that, we’ll provide a comprehensive list of collocations with “do” and “make,” totaling 50, with 25 for each verb. Afterward, we’ll present another 2 tests. We encourage you to revisit this post whenever you have doubts and need to review the collocations. So, without further ado, let’s proceed with the test.

Test 1

Click the link here and choose the right verb to complete the sentences.

Collocation List

Do	Example	Make	Example
work*	I have to do work on weekends to catch up on my deadlines.	mistake / error	We made too many errors, and that cost us the game.
activity	Try to spend your leisure time doing activities you really enjoy.	apology	He realized his mistake and decided to make an apology to his friend for forgetting his birthday.
task	I don’t think we have enough resources to do this task.	excuse	She had to make an excuse for being late to the meeting, blaming traffic for the delay.
assignment	Do the assignment by Monday.	exception	They don’t usually give refunds, but they said they’d make an exception in my case.
job	You are doing a great job!	comment	After the presentation, he made a comment about the importance of teamwork in achieving success.
business	It’s a pleasure doing business with you.	remark	She made a remark about the weather, noting how unpredictable it had been lately.
duty	I promise I will do my duty.	sound	She stood completely still, not making a sound.
service	Doing service for others can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience.	noise	The car engine was making a funny noise.
laundry	I do the laundry almost every day.	money	The company’s not making any money at the moment.
exercise	Most people need to do more exercise.	profit / loss	It’s very hard for a new business to make a profit in its first year.
chores	I stayed at home and did the chores.	investment	We have made a huge investment in our website.
the dishes	I’ll just do the dishes before we go.	promise	I’m not sure I can do it so I won’t make any promises.
cleaning**	After the party, it’s your turn to do the cleaning.	change	We need to make a few changes to the design.
one’s best	She always strives to do her best in everything she undertakes.	list	Let’s make a list of things to do.
a favor	Can you do me a favor?	plan	It’s hard to make plans when you don’t know what’s going to happen.
test / exam	She’s nervous about doing the test tomorrow; she’s been studying hard all week.	recommendation	Based on your interests, I’d like to make a recommendation for a book you might enjoy.
degree	She decided to do a degree in psychology to pursue her passion for understanding human behavior.	proposal	I’d like to make a proposal.
research	The scientist spent months doing research in the lab.	suggestion	Can I make a suggestion?
the honors	As the host of the event, he was asked to do the honors of cutting the ribbon during the grand opening ceremony.	mess	Don’t make a mess in the kitchen!
well / badly	Despite the challenges, the company continued to doing well financially.	effort	He was making an effort to be sociable.
one’s hair / nails	Before the party, she spent hours doing her hair.	the bed	Don’t forget to make the bed.
one’s makeup	Every morning, she wakes up early to do her makeup.	progress	He has made good progress in French this year.
harm	Alan would never do anyone any harm.	friends	Sometimes it is hard for children to make new friends.
damage	Luckily, the fire didn’t do much damage.	breakfast / lunch / dinner	She loves to make dinner for her family every evening.
calculations	As an engineer, he’s skilled at doing calculations quickly and accurately.	guess	I’m not sure of the answer, but I’ll make a guess based on the information available.

*Note that words containing work will collocate with do as well. For example, do housework, do homework.

**Other words ending in “-ing” will also collocate with do. For example, do cleaning, do ironing, do gardening.

Test 2

Click the link here and choose the right verb to complete the sentences.

Test 3

Click the link here and complete the text with the right forms of “do” and “make.”

Which 2 collocations were not included in any of the 3 tests? Can you create your own example sentences with them? We’d be delighted to see them in the comments below and share our thoughts. If you found this article helpful and would like more content like this, please let us know.