Step 78: Make or Do?
Natural word partners — Collocations 1: make, do, take, have
📖 Read — One Very Busy Day
By 8 a.m., Lisa had already made three phone calls, made an appointment with the dentist, and done her morning exercises. At work, she did research for a new project and made a big decision: the team would launch in June. “We can do this,” she told her colleagues. “Let's make progress every single day.”
At home, the rhythm continued. Her son did his homework without being asked — a miracle! Lisa took a photo of the moment, then took a break with a cup of tea. In the evening, the family had a long conversation about summer plans. “Whatever we choose,” she said, “we'll do our best.”
🧩 Grammar — Collocations — Make, Do, Take, Have
Some word pairs are married — learn them as CHUNKS, never word by word. MAKE (create/produce): make a decision, a mistake, money, progress, a phone call, an appointment, friends. DO (work/tasks): do homework, a job, business, research, the dishes, your best. TAKE: take a break, a photo, a test, notes, care of, your time. HAVE: have a shower, a conversation, a look, lunch, a good time. The classic traps: ✗ do a decision, ✗ make homework.
- She made a decision.
- He did his homework.
- Let's take a break.
- We had a long conversation.
🏗️ Key structures
- make a ___ (decision / mistake / call) — Don't make the same mistake twice.
- do ___ (homework / research / your best) — Scientists do research.
- take a ___ / have a ___ — Take a photo! / Have a look at this.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
Take your time — then make up your mind.
🔤 New words
choose after thinking (the verb is MAKE, not do)
We made a decision to move.
get better; move forward in something
Your English is making progress!
study a topic carefully to discover facts
She does research at the university.
try as hard as you can
Just do your best on the test.
stop working for a short rest
Let's take a break at three.
write down the important points
Students take notes during the lecture.
talk with someone for a while
We had a long conversation about money.
arrange a time to see a doctor, dentist, etc.
I made an appointment for Friday.
🎧 Say it with me
I made a decision, did my research, and took a break. Then I had a long conversation — I did my best today!
🎤 Your turn to speak
Describe your busiest day using at least six collocations: two with make, two with do, one with take, and one with have.
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write 5 sentences about a productive day. Use make, do, take, and have collocations at least once each.
See a model answer
This morning I made two phone calls and made an appointment with my teacher. At the library, I did research for my essay and took careful notes. At noon, I took a short break and had a sandwich. I'm making progress — and I'll do my best to finish tomorrow.
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
🎉 Saved in your progress!