MAKE, DO, HAVE, TAKE


There are many common expressions with these verbs, and often they are different in other languages, so you need to learn them.


Things we make


a mistake                              He made a few mistakes in the exam.
a meal (prepare, cook)         I had to make my own dinner last night.
money (become rich)            He made a lot of money when he worked in America.
friends                                  It´s not always easy to make friends in a foreign country.
a decision                             We must make a decision before 6 pm;
a noise                                 I can´t work when the children make a lot of noise.
progress (U)                        Her English is good now; she has made a lot of progress.


Things we do


homework (U)                          I forgot to do my English homework last night.
the housework (U)                    My mother does all the housework in our house.
(study) subjects                        Did you do English at school?
a course                                   I did a one-week course in word processing.
the shopping (buy food)            I always do the shopping at the weekend.
research (U)                             He´s doing research in physics at Rome University.
(someone) a favour                   Can you do me a favour and lend me some coffee?
something/anything/nothing         I didn´t do anything last night. That boy has done nothing all day.
                                                 She must have done something to him. He´s very angry.


Things we have


a rest                                        They had a long rest after the game.
food and drink                          I had steak but Paul just had a cup of tea.
a drink                                      Let´s have a drink before dinner.
a bath/a shower                        I always have a bath when I get up.
a party                                     I´m having a party for my birthday.
a baby                                     Mary is having a baby next month.
a (nice/great/terrible) time         We had a very nice time in Switzerland last year.


Things we take


an exam (also "do an exam")      I´m going to take four exams next month.
a photo                                     She took lots of photos on holiday.
a decision (also "make")            I´m not very good at taking decisions.
a shower (also "have")              I´m just going to take a shower before lunch.
a bus/train/plane/taxi                 We were late, so we took a taxi to the airport.

NOTE: Notice the use of be + adjective in these expressions:

She was lucky.               I´m hungry.                 I´m thirsty.


(From English Vocabulary in Use by Stuart Redman - Cambridge University Press)