To make, to do, and to make do

Welcome to EFLM, a blog for English language learners! 

Since we just made this blog and we want to do a good job, we decided to make our first post about the verbs make and do.  Many people confuse these two verbs, so hopefully this post will help sort it out for you.

So, what's the difference?  Let's start with do.  Here are some sentences with the verb do:
   
     I cannot do my homework because I am busy eating chocolate.
     I'll do the dishes in the morning because I am lazy.
     It's time to do the laundry because I have no more clean socks!

You may notice that none of these actions with do are much fun!  That's because we use do when we refer to a duty or responsibility, or when the action is something we must do over and over again.

Now, let's look at make:
      It is time to make a delicious chocolate cake!
      I made plans to travel to the moon on Saturday.
      I made a list of the best ice cream shops in Rome.

See the difference?  We use make when we are creating something. 

Finally, there is a phrasal verb in English:  "to make do".
To make do (with something) means to be able to survive with what you have, even if it is inconvenient.

The picture on the left is the cover of a book made during World War II.  It was part of the "make do and mend" movement.  Because of the shortage of supplies during the war, women were encouraged to fix, or mend, old clothes, and even make new clothes out of old clothes.   They had to "make do" with these conditions.


Can you think of some other examples with the words do, make, or make do? Post them, or any questions you have, in the comment section below!


Now, instead of doing my work, I think I will make some cookies! Yummy!