Use make and do correctlyفرّق بين make وdo

The idea, simply

Both can be translated with one Arabic verb, but English separates them. Do is usually for tasks, work, and duties: do homework, do the dishes, do your best. Make is usually for something you create or cause: make tea, make a mistake, make a decision, make a phone call. So say I made a mistake, not I did a mistake.

Examples

• I made a mistake in the first email.

• Who is doing the dishes tonight?

• We need to make a decision today.

Lesson words

• mistakeخطأ
  Everyone makes mistakes.
• decisionقرار
  It was a hard decision.
• homeworkواجب منزلي
  Did you do your homework?
• favourخدمة، معروف
  Could you do me a favour?
• the dishesغسل الأطباق
  I will do the dishes later.

Lesson exercises

1. Put the words in the correct order.

   Words: a / email. / first / I / in / made / mistake / the

   Answer

   I made a mistake in the first email.

2. Complete the gap: Can you ___ me a favour?

   Answer

   do

3. Choose the correct English sentence.

   • Let me make a quick phone call.
   • Let me do a quick phone call.
   • Let me make a quickly phone call.
   Answer

   Let me make a quick phone call.

4. Which phrase is correct?

   • do your homework
   • make your homework
   • do a decision
   Answer

   do your homework

   Homework is a task, so it takes do; a decision is something you create, so it takes make.

5. Describe your daily tasks with the right verb.

   Model answer

   I made a mistake in the first email.

   Compare your answer with the model and check word order, capitals, and punctuation.