Definition / Explanation
A collocation is a word combination that sounds natural to fluent speakers. English often uses do and make in fixed expressions, and learners frequently confuse them because both verbs are very common and general in meaning. In many cases, there is no simple rule that explains every choice. Instead, it is better to learn high-frequency combinations such as do homework and make a decision as complete chunks. This makes both speaking and writing sound more natural and accurate.
Key Rules
- Do often goes with work, tasks, or general activity: do homework, do the washing-up, do your best.
- Make often goes with creating, producing, or causing: make a decision, make a mistake, make money.
- Do not choose between do and make by logic alone; learn the common combinations.
- Many mistakes happen with common business and study phrases.
- Keep a running list of useful collocations.
Examples
- I need to do my homework.
- She made a good decision.
- We did a lot of work today.
- He made a mistake in the report.
- They want to make more money this year.
Common Mistakes
- ❌ I need to make my homework. -> ✅ I need to do my homework.
- ❌ She did a decision quickly. -> ✅ She made a decision quickly.
- ❌ He made an exercise. -> ✅ He did an exercise.