Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • "To be or not to be?" that is the qu-...

  • No, it's not the question.

  • You are here to learn a lesson.

  • Hi. I'm James from engVid, and today's lesson is going to be on "do" or "make".

  • Well, why am I doing this lesson?

  • Many students make a mistake with these two verbs.

  • Okay?

  • And the problem is native speakers almost never make this mistake, and as soon as you

  • make this mistake we will know that you are just learning English or low-level English.

  • So this lesson will help you fully understand how to use it so that you can start speaking

  • like a native speaker right away.

  • Now, in order to do that we have to clearly know what the difference is between "do" and "make",

  • and then give examples of how we use them.

  • I'll also give you collocations.

  • Collocations are words that go with "do" and "make" regularly so you know even if you're

  • having a difficult time, when you say something like: "cake", you're going to say "do" or "make".

  • Let's find out in five seconds, shall we?

  • Let's go to the board where I'll break down what "do" is and give you examples; what "make"

  • is, give you examples; then I'll give you those collocations and a short quiz.

  • All right.

  • E, what is it, "do" or "make"?

  • When I makes me a cake, do I do me a cake or make me a cake?

  • Well, let's find out.

  • If an action is repetitive, something you do on a regular basis, we're going to use

  • the verb "do".

  • Now, I should note very quickly here I am not going to talk on the auxiliary, like:

  • "Do you like that?"

  • I'm not going to ask these questions.

  • We have other videos, so please go to engVid, go check them out, and they'll clearly do...

  • Do, [laughs].

  • Show you the uses of "do" as the auxiliary. Okay?

  • This is specifically how you understand it.

  • If something is done repetitively, we use "do", which is true for most simple present verbs.

  • When we talk in the simple present it's about repeated actions.

  • So, "do" is no different from that.

  • Okay?

  • Obligation.

  • An obligation might be something like I do homework every night.

  • It's a thing I must do.

  • Okay?

  • So we use it for obligation.

  • Multiple actions.

  • Now, listen to me carefully.

  • "I do the dishes."

  • I'll give you a visual representation or a visual picture of it in a second, but I want

  • you to understand the concept.

  • A lot of times in English we use what's called "shorthand".

  • Instead of saying every verb that I'm going to do, what I do is I use...

  • Or I even said it here, replacing verbs.

  • We put the verb "do" in and it talks about several actions in one go.

  • Here's an example for you: When I do the dishes, I wash them, I dry them, I put them away.

  • Notice there are three verbs.

  • I don't want to say when someone says, like E goes: "Did you do the dishes?"

  • Go: "Yes, I wash the dishes, I dry the dishes, I put the dishes away."

  • They'll go: -"You new to Canada, correct?"

  • -"Yes, very correct."

  • Okay, so I said: "I'll do the dishes" or "I do the dishes".

  • So, even under obligation I said: "I do the dishes every night", that's my obligation.

  • And it's these actions I'm talking about.

  • Repetitive because I do it every night, I repeat it.

  • Okay?

  • Multiple actions, so I've just went through, and replacement of verbs.

  • This is similar to multiple actions, but you can use the verb "to do" to replace one verb,

  • like: "Hey, man. I got to do my hair tonight."

  • That means "fix", that might be cut my hair, it might be wash my hair, but when I got to

  • do my hair, I got to do my hair, and do my nails.

  • That means cut and clean.

  • It's not saying multiple verbs.

  • It's just replacing one verb, but we can put "do" in there and it replaces that verb, and

  • we understand what it means.

  • Is there something you have to do?

  • Okay, I've killed that.

  • Right?

  • So why don't we go to "make"?

  • "Make".

  • "Make" is create, when you create something.

  • Creation comes from it didn't exist and now it does.

  • You create.

  • That's making.

  • And when I say "create", there's a big difference between the two.

  • Okay?

  • Notice when we talked about "do" we talked about repetitive, obligation, multiple actions,

  • dah-dah-dah-dah.

  • It's a verb of action and so is "make", but the difference is this: When I talk about

  • "do", you can't see it.

  • Sorry, you can see it, but you can't touch it.

  • You can see me washing, but you can't touch me washing the dishes.

  • It doesn't make sense.

  • You can see me washing the dishes, but you can't touch and go: "Now I have dry."

  • It's like: You can't have dry.

  • It's the action that I'm actually doing. Okay?

  • So when you keep these...

  • This in mind, yes, they're verbs of action and that's why you get confused, I understand,

  • but just keep in mind generally speaking with "do" you can see it, but you can't touch it.

  • And why am I bringing that back up?

  • Because with "make" it's almost the opposite.

  • When you create something it's in your hand, I can touch it, like this pen.

  • I made this pen, you can see it.

  • If you said: "Do you do this pen?"

  • It doesn't make sense to me.

  • I'm like: "It's in my hand, man.

  • I made it. It's done."

  • Right?

  • How do you make a pen?

  • That's different. All right?

  • Something you choose.

  • Huh?

  • You choose.

  • Make a decision already!

  • Right?

  • You got to choose it. Right?

  • Make a decision.

  • I have to put this one in here because you go: "Ah, well, you make a decision, I don't see it.

  • I don't see any decision."

  • But yeah, I have made up my mind, I've made a decision to make one path instead of another

  • one, and that will follow through.

  • Right?

  • Produce, well, similar to "create", but you know, when you make cars, it's regularly doing

  • it but you can see products coming out, like we make pens.

  • Okay?

  • So it's not...

  • "Create" is like the first time you created something.

  • The guy who made the first Apple computer.

  • Right?

  • He created it.

  • It was the first one, created.

  • But now he's producing them, he's making them, he's making many of them, more of them and

  • you can see them.

  • Speaking. Are you like a dog?

  • "Roof, roof". No.

  • Speaking.

  • It's been a little while, but there was a guy called Obama, Barack Obama.

  • Don't know if you've heard of him.

  • Anyway, he made a speech, and he said: "Yes we can" in the speech.

  • Notice how I said: He didn't do a speech, he made a speech.

  • Okay?

  • Because he produced ideas.

  • There comes that word again, another word going back.

  • As he spoke, these ideas were produced and people could understand them.

  • He even created a new environment.

  • So when we use "make" we can use it for speaking.

  • "Hey, don't make a noise."

  • See?

  • Okay?

  • Or: "Did you make a comment?"

  • In each of these cases you cannot say "do", you have to say "make" because something is

  • created or something is produced.

  • In this case, a sound.

  • So that's why we talk about "make" as in creating something for the first time; choosing something,

  • make your mind up, make a decision.

  • Producing, continually making something.

  • So after you've created the first one, we keep producing them, keep making them.

  • And speaking because noise is a sound and make it, and is a product.

  • It may not be physical you can touch, but it's something that's there.

  • Cool?

  • All right, and that's difference from just seeing the actions from "do".

  • Generally speaking, when you make something you can touch it.

  • I have to say generally because when I'm speaking like making a speech now, you can't touch

  • my words, but you can catch the sound. Right?

  • That's how we record things.

  • So, when we look over here, you can touch it, you make a cake.

  • Birthday cake, you make one.

  • You don't do it.

  • You make money.

  • I got no money.

  • I was looking for some.

  • I haven't make any money.

  • I might have to do something to make some money.

  • Right?

  • Notice how I used that?

  • Do something, several actions in order to get money, make it so I can show it to you

  • which I can't right now.

  • I need you to remember this before we go to the next board where I'm going to show you

  • some common collocations.

  • Okay? And collocations are basically words that go together.

  • There are words that go with "do" and there are words that go with "make", and this will help you.

  • Remember I said I want you to understand?

  • This will help make it easier for you that when you hear this word, you go:

  • "This is the word that goes with 'make'", or "This is the word that goes with 'do'", okay?

  • And you'll soon master our language.

  • So give me a sec and we'll get up there.

  • And don't forget native speakers always get this right, and so will you in about two seconds.

  • [Snaps]

  • And time to do collocations.

  • Collocations, as I mentioned before-remember?-it's words that usually go together.

  • In this case I picked a few that I know you'll hear once you learn English or if you're in

  • an English-speaking country, you'll hear people use these words a lot.

  • So let's go to the board.

  • I'll start off with "do" and housework.

  • Another word for "housework" is "chores".

  • You might hear a young kid say: "I got chores to do tonight, man.

  • I can't come out and play."

  • Or you go: "My household chores takes so long."

  • Chores is basically a job you have to do and you don't get paid for it.

  • So if you hear about chore, it's in your house or something you do, and you don't get paid for.

  • You don't have chores at work.

  • Keep that in mind. Okay?

  • Just a new vocabulary word for you.

  • And let's go to the board.

  • "Do the dishes".

  • Do you remember when I said that if you do something and you repeatedly have to do it,

  • repetitive manner, you do the dishes and I showed you wash, dry, put away?

  • That's an example of multiple verbs.

  • "Do the laundry" is the same thing.

  • You put the clothes in the washing machine, you wash them, you put them in the dryer or

  • you hang them up, then you fold them and put them away.

  • You'll notice that I said: "put", "fold", different verbs, another replacement.

  • "Do the yard work".

  • Yard?

  • Yarrr.

  • I'm not a pirate.

  • Yard, we call it the yard as in the backyard.

  • When you have a house...

  • I'm sure it's the same most places, but we can't say it's everywhere.

  • You have your little house here, okay?

  • You have some land here and here.

  • This is in the front, this is in the back.

  • Each part is called the yard.

  • Front yard.

  • Right? Where you usually have grass, maybe a tree.

  • If you're lucky, an apple tree if you're George Washington.

  • But you'll have a tree, some grass, and you can play.

  • The children can play soccer or football, or what have you.

  • Okay?

  • When you do the yard work sometimes it's cutting the grass, or it's playing with the flowers,

  • or you know, playing...

  • You know, you're playing with the flowers, pulling out weeds, you know, things from the

  • plants.

  • Doing yard work means to clean this area to make it look good.

  • It's like getting your hair done.

  • You know what I'm saying?

  • Okay, anyway, so you clean your house, the front and the back is to "do the yard word".

  • This is for housework, but you don't just live in your house, you also work.

  • And when we work...

  • Oh, sorry, I've got one before I forget, I put it in orange.

  • This is not for "Robin and Batman".

  • This is for "Ronnie".

  • Here's one we got called "make the bed", this usually goes with housework, but it actually

  • sits on the "make" side.

  • I'd love to go into great detail on it.

  • Actually, I'll give you my simple explanation in a second, but what I want to point out

  • is if you need further information on some of these, go check out Ronnie's video on housework,

  • and "do" and "make", okay?

  • My idea for make the bed I'll tell you when we get here with "make".

  • Now we go back to work.

  • Remember work?

  • Okay, work.

  • You "do homework", that's for school.

  • Right?

  • I do my homework.

  • It means I write, I read, I think, I remember, I bring the work back to school and give it

  • to the teacher.

  • Me.

  • Okay?

  • "Do business".

  • Huh?

  • "Do business", it's not what you think.

  • It's not do a business.

  • When you do business it means you work with someone.

  • I really want to do business with Elon Musk, I think that's his name.

  • He's the guy who makes the cars.

  • Right?

  • I really want to do business with Bill Gates.

  • It means work with them.

  • I don't do business a lot in England.

  • Okay?

  • It means I don't work with people in England.

  • So, it's work with. Right?

  • So we're using "do" to replace this verb "work with", "work".

  • Okay?

  • Same example here, but we're going to replace a verb "write".

  • "Do a report".

  • "Johnson, that trip you went to Africa was amazing.

  • We loved the papers.

  • Can you do a report on that?"

  • I want you to write a report.

  • In this case, "do" replaces "write", write a report.

  • Okay?

  • And your body.

  • Remember I said earlier: "Got to do my hair"?

  • Right?

  • "Got to do my nails".

  • In this case it means clean or fix.

  • Clean or fix my nails, and that's "do".

  • These are all actions that you see people do.

  • You'll see me cutting them.

  • Right?

  • Cleaning my nails or cutting my hair, but you won't actually be able to hold on to these things.

  • So now let's go to "make".

  • Right?

  • So there's common collocations for this here, and let's look for some common collocations-hard

  • to say "common collocations" over and over again-for "make".

  • "Make".

  • We can communicate with "make".

  • I told you about making a noise before, but there are some more practical ones, such as:

  • "make a call".

  • You're going to be on your cellphone: "Excuse me a second.

  • I have to make a call, talk to a friend of mine."

  • Okay?

  • Perhaps Mr. E. "Make excuses".

  • You know when you're late or you don't do something and somebody asks you a question,

  • you're like: "Uh, the dog ate my homework", that's making an excuse.

  • It means to give a reason for not doing something, but people don't believe it's a true one or

  • a good enough one.

  • Okay?

  • So when you make an excuse, I or someone else doesn't think it's good enough.

  • It's not a good reason.

  • "Make a complaint".

  • Have you ever gone to a restaurant, and you're eating something and you don't know what it is, and you say:

  • "Hey. I asked for the chicken in my Chinese food, and I don't know what this is."

  • Right?

  • You can make a complaint to the manager or the waiter, and they will have to fix it.

  • I don't know what you're eating either, don't ask me.

  • "Make a complaint", that's to say something is wrong.

  • "I don't like it. I'd like it fixed in some way."

  • Make a complaint.

  • Next ones...

  • Or, oop.

  • Food, "make dinner". But "make dinner" is easy.

  • We make dinner, we make lunch, we make breakfast, that's just to create a meal, produce a meal.

  • "Make some coffee".

  • In the morning I know when I get up and I'm really tired, I'm just going to go:

  • "Hey, dude. Can you make me some coffee?"

  • Right?

  • That means I want a cup of coffee produced for me.

  • Plans.

  • You can ask somebody to "make up your mind", decide.

  • Make a decision.

  • Give me something, one way or another, A or B, up or down.

  • "Make a list".

  • -"So what do you want to do on your vacation?"

  • -"Oh, blah, blah, blah."

  • -"Hey. Why don't you make a list?"-that means write it out for me-

  • "And then I can look at it later on and make a decision on that."

  • My favourite one here is "make an exception" or "make an example".

  • Hmm?

  • Okay, everyone's going into the nightclub tonight.

  • Okay? Everyone's going to dance, have some fun.

  • Doo-doo-doo-doo.

  • And what happens is...

  • Did you hear that?

  • Doo-doo-doo-doo, I think you got lucky, you get to come in.

  • Okay?

  • So you get to come to the nightclub and we invite you in.

  • Your friend comes and go: "Hey, sorry. He's not allowed."

  • You go: "Hey. He's my brother. I love this guy."

  • They go: "Okay, we'll make an exception."

  • It means you're going to be able to do something that nobody else is allowed to do.

  • We're going to let you do this, but no one else can do it because you're an exception.

  • So, if you come to a school and you want to go to Harvard let's just say and your...

  • Was it IELTS score is really low or your TOEFL score is low?

  • But you're really good looking and you're really, you know, pretty and you're dressed

  • well, they might go: "We'll make an exception for you, you can come to our school.

  • Normally we wouldn't let people in if they have low marks, but you're good looking."

  • Like me.

  • Okay, not like me.

  • Brad Pitt.

  • Here's the better one, though, you might like this.

  • Sometimes you've got a classroom situation where there's one student who's talking, talking,

  • talking, talking, and they're taking what we call all the airtime, not letting anyone

  • else say anything.

  • And half the times they're wrong and the teacher doesn't like it.

  • So the teacher might make an example of them.

  • What do you mean?

  • Well, they might just say: "Hey, Harris, you seem to know everything.

  • Why don't you teach the lesson today?

  • I'll make an example of you and everybody will know not to do that in my classroom."

  • To make an example of someone...

  • A better one might be this.

  • When the policemen sees four of you and you're all drinking on the street, and you're smiling

  • and laughing, and one guy says: "Unh the police."

  • The police go: "Okay, no problem.

  • I'm going to make an example of you.

  • You're going to jail tonight.

  • Not your friends. Just you."

  • To make an example of someone means to put them in a bad situation so everyone can see

  • it, and they will go: "I don't want to do that.

  • That's way too much trouble.

  • I don't want that kind of problem."

  • Okay?

  • That can happen with the law, that can happen in the classroom, that can happen in any situation

  • in which you're doing something people don't like and they want to make sure everybody

  • sees what they do to you, which is usually something negative.

  • You got to be careful.

  • To have someone make an exception for you is a good thing.

  • To be made an example of is a bad thing.

  • And these are common collocations that go with "make".

  • Cool?

  • All right, so before I go I want to talk about make the bed, and the reason why I said I'd

  • come back to this and I mentioned Ronnie's video is this is a really weird one.

  • Really, it's repetition, it's obligation, it really should be on the list of here, on

  • the "do" side. Right?

  • Under housework, but for some reason in English we say "make" goes on the...

  • Sorry, "make the bed" goes on the "make" side.

  • First off, I don't know why.

  • It's English.

  • Welcome to English.

  • That's...

  • I don't know.

  • Anyone who tells you differently, they don't know either.

  • They're just making it up.

  • But I'm going to give you my best guess as to why we put it over here.

  • Do you remember when I said produce and create?

  • Well, when you sleep in your bed, you get out, it's a mess.

  • It's all over the place and it just doesn't look good.

  • So then you take the sheets and you put them up, and you organize them.

  • Okay? And then...

  • So you got the sheets on, then you put the pillow up and it looks nice.

  • You've produced something nice.

  • I'm thinking that's the reason.

  • And the reason why I'm explaining it and even saying it, because you're going:

  • "Why are you telling me?" because I need you to know something: Even though I told you that English

  • people almost never make this mistake, it doesn't mean we didn't make mistakes when

  • we created the language.

  • Okay?

  • It doesn't make sense that it's there, but we say it like that.

  • And this is a collocation you've got to be really careful on because it's commonly said

  • every morning, like: "Did you make the bed?"

  • Right?

  • So you got to know it.

  • And if you go: "Yes, I do the bed."

  • They're going to go: "You did what with the bed?

  • I'm going to clean the bed right now.

  • I don't know what you did in there."

  • Okay?

  • But before I go, the common collocations, because we have one more, a little quiz, you

  • know I like doing quizzes at the end - we have a resource page, and I'd like you to

  • go to the resource page where you'll find these ones plus many more examples of common

  • collocations that you could learn, memorize, and sound like native speaker right away.

  • Yeah?

  • Anyway, two seconds we do the quiz.

  • You ready?

  • [Snaps]

  • Okay, quiz time, as you know I love to do quizzes.

  • And we're going to do a quick quiz of five questions, but before I do,

  • let's go to Mr. E because I haven't used him enough and he wants to give you a reminder.

  • So, what do you got to say, E?

  • "Remember", okay.

  • "Do" generally talks about the action itself.

  • Remember I said earlier when we talk about "do" you see me doing it, but it doesn't actually

  • produce anything.

  • When we want to do that, we go to the verb "make".

  • "Make" talks about the result.

  • So when you think about the actions of, you know, doing something, at the end you will

  • make something.

  • That's how they're related and that's why they're verbs of action.

  • Okay?

  • But when you think "make", think of: "I should have something in my hand I can touch", and

  • "do", I can see you doing it, see you with my eyes.

  • Are we good?

  • So we put our senses with our verbs.

  • That should help us remember, right?

  • See for "do", "make" you can touch.

  • Time for the quiz.

  • Are you ready now?

  • I'm sure you are because now you're going to be an expert at English and speak like

  • a native, right?

  • So let's do number one: "I usually _______ the dishes after dinner."

  • Would you say "do" or "make"?

  • Think: Is it repetitive?

  • Is it an obligation?

  • Are you producing? Are you actually making dishes?

  • You know, making, creating?

  • "Do", "I do the dishes". Right?

  • And I helped you by telling you it was repetitive and obligation.

  • We do the dishes.

  • Are you ready for number two?

  • "Can you _______ a lot of money at your job?"

  • Did I hear you say: "I want the dollar, dollar, dollar"?

  • Want dollars?

  • Yeah.

  • You can "make" money, because money is good in your hand.

  • Right? Remember we talked about looking and touching, that's a physical thing.

  • You get the money.

  • What about number three?

  • I didn't make it easy.

  • I changed the tense, but let's see how good you are:

  • "I _______ the laundry yesterday."

  • That's right, I used that example earlier on, didn't I?

  • Do you remember when I talked about household chores and I said chores are jobs and these

  • are things you have to do?

  • I knew you'd get it.

  • "I did the laundry yesterday."

  • Right? I didn't make it.

  • That means you'd have to sew the clothing, that's different.

  • How about number four?

  • Tricky one, remember.

  • "I _______ my bed every morning."

  • That's right, I made that special speech and I told you: Go see Ronnie's list, and she'll

  • explain it a bit more to you about

  • making the bed.

  • It's the weird one, the exception.

  • Right?

  • "I make the bed every morning", it's something you repeat, but we use "make".

  • And finally, this is for you experts out there, okay?

  • We're using both of the verbs and I want to see if you get it right.

  • Good luck.

  • "I _______ everything I can to _______ you happy!"

  • Careful.

  • Remember native people would never get this wrong.

  • That's right: "I do everything I can to make you happy!"

  • And: "Why?" you might ask.

  • "Do", okay?

  • Actions.

  • You can see all of my actions.

  • "Make" is the final result.

  • Remember I talked about result?

  • The result is you are happy.

  • So even though I can't touch this one, what is the result of all my doing?

  • You will be happy.

  • Hey, listen.

  • You've done a very good job and I'm impressed.

  • Actually I'll be more impressed when you go to our website, engVid.

  • Remember? www.engvid.com.

  • And I'm sure right now you're going to touch that screen, click it, or whatever you got

  • to do to go and do the quiz.

  • And then you can show me you're a really good student.

  • Thanks a lot.

"To be or not to be?" that is the qu-...

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it