MAKE & DO

DO and MAKE are two verbs which we frequently confuse. Let's learn the difference between DO and MAKE and when to use each one.

 When we talk about work, jobs or tasks. Note, they do not produce any physical object.

• I do my homework everyday.
• I wouldn't like to do that job.
• I help my mother to do the housework.

2. When we refer to activities in general without being specific. In these cases, we normally use words like thing, something, nothing, anything, everything etc.

• Hurry up! I've got things to do!
• Don't just stand there – do something!
• Is there anything I can do to help you?

3. We sometimes use DO to replace a verb when the meaning is clear or obvious. This is more common in informal spoken English:

• Do I need to do my hair? (do = brush or comb)
• I'm going to do the dishes. (do = wash)
• I'll do the kitchen if you do the lawns (do = clean, do = mow)

Make is for producing, constructing, creating or building something new.

It also indicates the origin of a product or the materials that are used to make something. 

• His wedding ring is made of gold.
• The house was made of adobe.
• Wine is made from grapes.
• The watches were made in Switzerland

We also use MAKE for producing an action or reaction:

• Onions make your eyes water.
• You make me happy.
• It’s not my fault. My brother made me do it!

You MAKE after certain nouns about plans and decisions:

• make the arrangements
• make a choice

We use MAKE with nouns about speaking and certain sounds:

• make a comment
• make a noise
• make a speech

We use MAKE with Food, Drink and Meals:

• make a cake
• make a cup of tea
• make dinner

A: You have to make a cake for Simon.

B: I’ll do it later.

Notice how in the response the verb DO is used. This is because the meaning is clear and to avoid saying “I’ll make it later.” which could sound repetitive.

 

The following expressions are collocations (combinations of words that frequently appear together) that you need to learn: 

The following words are normally used with DO:

• a burp
• a course
• a crossword
• a dance
• a drawing
• a fart
• a favor / favour
• a job
• a painting
• a project
• a service
• an assignment
• anything
• badly
• business
• chores
• damage
• everything
• exercises
• good
• harm
• laundry
• nothing
• research
• right (the right thing)
• something
• the gardening
• the housework
• the ironing
• the dishes
• the rest
• the shopping
• the washing
• well
• work
• wrong (the wrong thing)
• your best
• your hair
• your homework
• your job
• your nails
• your work

The following words are normally used with MAKE:

• a bet
• a cake
• a call
• a change
• a choice
• a comment
• a complaint
• a confession
• a connection
• a cup of coffee / tea
• a date
• a decision
• a demand
• a difference
• a discovery
• a face
• a fool of yourself
• a fortune
• a friend
• a fuss
• a joke
• a line
• a list
• a living
• a loss
• a mess
• a mistake
• a noise
• a pass at someone
• a plan
• a point
• a prediction
• a profit
• a promise
• a reservation
• a sandwich
• a scene
• a sound
• a speech
• a statement
• a suggestion
• advances
• alterations
• an appointment
• an announcement
• an attempt
• an effort
• an error
• an escape
• an exception
• an excuse
• an impression
• an observation
• an offer
• amends
• arrangements
• breakfast
• certain
• clear
• dinner
• faces
• famous
• fun of someone
• love
• lunch
• inquiries
• peace
• possible
• progress
• money
• room
• sales
• sense
• someone rich
• someone smile
• sure
• trouble
• war
• your bed
• your mind up
• your way

Try this interactive games to practice Do vs. Make

Don´t forget!! Look at this mind map and remember MAKE and DO uses in your exercises.

And that's all for today!!

NEOLOGISMS

                                      

A neologism is the name for a newly coined term, word or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use but that has not yet been accepted into mainstream language. Neologisms are directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event. Neolexia (new word, or the act of creating a new word) is a synonym for it. The term neologism is first attested in English in 1772, borrowed from French néologisme (1734).

A neologosm may also be a new usage of an existing word, sometimes called a semantic extension. This is distinct from a person's idiolect, one's unique patterns of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN NEOLOGISMS?

Click HERE and you'll learn new words everyday!!




When you learn a new word, you start seeing it everywhere!!

Don't miss any word in your life!!

FAMOUS COUPLES

                            

When two people are famous for their amazing performance or partnership, they become a famous couple or pair and many people know them all over the world!

They can belong to the music, comics, television, radio, etc. world, but it does not matter where they come from people remember them for years.

I'm completely sure you know this famous pair: Batman & Robin. Watch this Power Point Presentation (PPP) to see what you know about them.

Famous pairs from Liliana Lo Preiato

Find information about a famous pair/couple you know and design a PPP about them. The presentation must include seven slides at least. Decorate it as you prefer and add pictures or photos in your work. Use my PPP as a guide.

                               

REPORTED SPEECH - QUESTIONS

    

§  Questions with the answer yes or no are reported using asked and if.

e.g. ‘Does the London train stop here?’   ð becomes: She asked me if the London train stopped there.

Note: Be careful because the question form of the direct speech does not exist anymore in reported speech (no direct question). So there is no question mark, some auxiliaries must be omitted, and sometimes the order must be changed.

e.g. ‘Are you going with John?’  ð becomes: She asked me IF I was going with John. (inversion: subject + verb to be)

       ‘Do you like red roses?’  ð becomes: She asked me if I liked red roses. (omission auxiliary ‘do’)

§  When we report questions linked with or, the question is reported with whether instead of if.

e.g. ‘Will you drink coffee or tea?’  ð becomes:  She asked me whether I would drink coffee or tea.

§  Questions beginning with when, what, why, how, etc. (interrogative pronouns) are reported without if and using the interrogative pronoun.

e.g. ‘Where is the bus-station?’  ð becomes:  She asked me where the bus-station was.    

        ‘What have you done?’  ð becomes:  She asked me what I had done.

Click on the exercises below to practise reporting questions.

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

EXERCISE 3

EXERCISE 4

EXERCISE 5

REPORTED SPEECH - STATEMENTS

             

When we use reported speech, all tenses move back one tense into the past from the original. This is called backshift.

e.g. Jack said, ‘The test is very difficult’   
ð becomes: He said (that) the test was very difficult.       

That is optional. The following chart includes the tense changes and an example from direct speech to indirect (or reported) speech.

TENSE CHANGES	DIRECT SPEECH	INDIRECT SPEECH
§  SIMPLE PRESENT to  SIMPLE PAST	He said, ‘I live in Paris.’	He said he lived in Paris.
§  SIMPLE PAST to PAST      PERFECT	He said, ‘I went to New York on holiday.’	He said he had gone to New York on holiday.
§  SIMPLE FUTURE to SIMPLE      CONDITIONAL	He said, ‘I will give Jack a call.’	He said he would give Jack a call.
§  PRESENT CONTINUOUS to      PAST CONTINUOUS	He said, ‘I am cooking dinner.’	He said he was cooking dinner.
§  PRESENT PERFECT to PAST      PERFECT	He said, ‘I have visited London twice.’	He said he had visited London twice.
§  PAST PERFECT to PAST      PERFECT	He said, ‘I had already eaten.’	He said he had already eaten.
§  BE GOING TO (+ infinitive) to      WAS/WERE GOING TO (+       infinitive)	He said, ‘I am going to find a new job.’	He said he was going to find a new job.
§  CAN to COULD	He said, ‘I can’t get you out of my mind.’	He said he couldn’t get her out his mind.
§  MUST to HAD TO (+ infinitive)	He said, ‘I must finish the project.’	He said he had to finish the project.
§  HAVE TO to HAD TO	He said, ‘I have to go to Manchester tomorrow’	He said he had to go to Manchester the following day.
§  SHOULD to SHOULD	He said, ‘I should be early.’	He said he should be early.

In reported speech, references to people, places and times often change, because the point of view changes.

e.g. She said, ‘I want to bring my children.’   
ð becomes:  She said she wanted to bring her children.

      

       Jack said, ‘I’ll see you here on Monday.’  
ð becomes:  Jack said he would see me there on Monday.

                                    

       Ron said, ‘I bought this book yesterday.’ 
 ð becomes:  Ron said he had bought The book the day before.

The following chart includes the changes which are necessary when using time and place signifiers (reference to people and places.) It is also included an example from direct speech to indirect (or reported) speech.

TIME & PLACE CHANGES	DIRECT SPEECH	INDIRECT SPEECH
§  TODAY to THAT DAY	He said, ‘I’ve done it today.’	He said he’d done it that day.”
§  TOMORROW to THE NEXT/     FOLLOWING DAY	He said, ‘I’ll bring that tomorrow.’	He said he would bring that the following day.
§  YESTERDAY to THE DAY      BEFORE	He said, ‘I lost my keys yesterday.’	He said he had lost his keys the day before.
§  NEXT to THE FOLLOWING	He said, ‘I’ll come back next week.’	He said he would come back the following week.
§  TONIGHT to THAT NIGHT	He said, ‘I’ll be back tonight.’	He said he would be back that night.
§  LAST to THE PREVIOUS	He said, ‘I arrived last Monday.’	He said he had arrived the previous Monday.
§  NOW to AT THAT MOMENT/THEN	He said, ‘I’m watching TV now.’	He said he was watching TVthen.
§  THIS to THE/THAT/IT	He said, ‘I must finish this before leaving.’ He said, “I bought this car.”	He said he had to finish that/itbefore leaving. He said he had bought the/thatcar.
§  AGO to BEFORE	He said, ‘I was there a week ago’	He said he had been there a week before.
§  HERE to THERE	He said, ‘I’ll be here very soon.’	He said he would be there very soon.

Click HERE to continue learning REPORTING STATEMENTS!

AND NOW...

Click on the following exercises and practise reporting statement.

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

EXERCISE 3

EXERCISE 4

EXERCISE 5