Make vs Do — Intermediate Practice

At intermediate level, the make vs do distinction goes beyond common phrases into less obvious expressions. You already know "make a cake" and "do homework," but what about "do damage," "make progress," or "do research"? These expressions often surprise learners because they do not fit neatly into the create vs perform rule. "Do damage" focuses on the harmful action, while "make progress" focuses on a result you achieve. The key is to learn each phrase in context rather than relying on one simple rule.

At this level, you also encounter make and do in different tenses and more complex sentences: "She has made a lot of effort this year," "They were doing business with a foreign company." Pay attention to how the verb form changes while the phrase stays fixed — we say "made an effort" (past) and "making an effort" (continuous), but the noun partner does not change. Common intermediate phrases with make include: make an effort, make progress, make room, make sure, and make a living. With do: do research, do damage, do well, do harm, and do business. These expressions appear frequently in B1 Preliminary reading and writing tasks.