Make or Do? Master 30 Confusing English Collocations (2026) | Make 跟 Do 搭配詞陷阱

本文重點:本篇文章為台灣上班族 (台灣上班族) 整理 30 個最容易混淆的 make 跟 do 英文搭配詞 (collocations)，幫助你在商業英文 (Business English)、多益考試 (多益 TOEIC)、以及日常英文家教 (英文家教) 課程中正確使用。掌握這些搭配詞，讓你的英文聽起來更道地、更自然，徹底告別中式英文。

If you have ever paused mid-sentence wondering whether to say “make your homework” or “do your homework,” you are not alone. Collocations — the natural word partnerships native speakers use without thinking — are one of the trickiest parts of English for Taiwan learners. And out of every collocation in the language, the verbs make そして do cause more confusion than almost any other pair.

Here is the good news: you do not need to memorize a dictionary. Most native speakers follow a small set of patterns, and once you learn the 30 most common make/do collocations, you will sound natural in 90 percent of business and daily situations. This guide is built specifically for Taiwan professionals — at work, in TOEIC tests, in interviews, and in everyday English chats.

Why Make vs Do Is So Confusing | 為什麼 Make 跟 Do 這麼容易搞混

In Chinese, one verb often covers both English meanings. The word 做 can translate as “do,” “make,” and sometimes even “have” or “take.” So when a Taiwan learner translates “我做功課” directly, both “I make my homework” and “I do my homework” feel logical — but only one is correct in English.

English speakers use make そして do based on collocation patterns rather than logic. There is no perfect rule, only tendencies. That is why teachers, including ESL tutors in Taipei (台北英文家教), focus on memorizing word pairs as fixed units instead of translating word for word.

The Quick Rule (And Why It Almost Works) | 快速規則 (以及它為什麼幾乎有用)

Here is the simplest pattern that covers most cases:

• DO is used for tasks, jobs, chores, and routine activities — things you complete.
• MAKE is used for creating, producing, or constructing — things that did not exist before.

So you do the laundry (a task) but you make a cake (you create it). You do your job but you make a decision (you generate it in your mind). This rule covers about 70 percent of cases. The remaining 30 percent? Pure collocation — you simply have to memorize them.

15 Essential “Do” Collocations | 15 個必學的 Do 搭配詞

These are the highest-frequency “do” collocations you will hear and read at work, in emails, and on the TOEIC exam.

Daily Routines | 日常活動

• do the laundry — wash clothes (洗衣服)
• do the dishes — wash plates and cups
• do the shopping — buy groceries
• do the cleaning — clean the house or office
• do your hair — style your hair

Work and Study | 工作與學習

• do your homework — finish school assignments (also: research before a meeting)
• do business with someone — have a commercial relationship
• do a report — write and submit a report
• do research — investigate a topic (做研究)
• do a course — enroll in and complete a course

Effort and Behaviour | 努力與行為

• do your best — try as hard as you can (盡力)
• do someone a favor — help someone
• do harm / do good — cause damage or benefit
• do exercise — be physically active (運動)
• do well / do badly — perform well or poorly

15 Essential “Make” Collocations | 15 個必學的 Make 搭配詞

These are the most common “make” pairings — many appear in TOEIC reading sections, job interviews, and business emails.

Communication and Decisions | 溝通與決定

• 決断を下す — decide (做決定)
• make a phone call — call someone
• make a suggestion — offer an idea
• make an announcement — share news publicly
• make a complaint — express dissatisfaction

Plans and Effort | 計畫與努力

• make a plan — create a strategy (做計畫)
• make an appointment — schedule a meeting
• make an effort — try hard
• make progress — improve or move forward (進步)
• make a mistake — do something wrong

Money, Results, and Relationships | 金錢、結果與關係

• make money — earn money (賺錢)
• make a profit — earn a financial gain
• make friends — form friendships
• make a difference — create meaningful change
• make sense — be logical or understandable

Top 5 Mistakes Taiwan Learners Make | 台灣學習者最常犯的 5 大錯誤

After teaching English to Taiwan professionals for over two decades, these five mistakes appear in almost every classroom.

1. “Make a homework” — Wrong. The correct phrase is do your homework. Homework is a task to complete, not something you build.
2. “Do a decision” — Wrong. Decisions are made, not done. Always say 決断を下す (做決定).
3. “Do a phone call” — Wrong. You make a phone call because the call is created at the moment you dial.
4. “Make exercise” — Wrong. You do exercise. Exercise is an activity to complete, not something to produce.
5. “Do progress” — Wrong. Progress is something you make. Think of progress as a small thing you build over time.

Fix just these five, and your written English at work — emails, reports, and Slack messages — will instantly sound more professional.

How to Memorize Collocations Fast | 如何快速記住英文搭配詞

Memorizing 30 collocations sounds heavy, but with the right method you can lock them in within a week. Try this routine, which I use with my own Taipei students:

1. Learn in chunks, not single words. Write “make a decision” as one block. Never separate make and decision when reviewing.
2. Group by theme. All work collocations together, all daily-life ones together. Your brain stores them more efficiently this way.
3. Use them in real sentences. Write one email, one Slack message, or one journal entry per day using three new collocations.
4. Read out loud. Saying “do the dishes” five times makes the pattern feel automatic.
5. Test yourself weekly. Flashcards (anki or 紙本) — front: Chinese meaning, back: English collocation. Review every 7 days.

The fastest way to master a collocation is to use it inside a sentence about your own life. Generic textbook examples disappear from memory by next week — personal ones stick for years.

Practice Time: Test Yourself | 練習時間：自我測驗

Fill in the blank with make または do. Answers are at the bottom.

1. Let me __________ a phone call before the meeting starts.
2. Could you __________ me a favor and forward this email to Sarah?
3. The team needs to __________ progress on the project this week.
4. I have to __________ the laundry tonight — I have no clean shirts.
5. Our manager will __________ an announcement at 3 PM.
6. You should always __________ your best in a job interview.
7. We need to __________ a decision about the new vendor by Friday.
8. Did you __________ research on the company before your interview?

Answers: 1. make, 2. do, 3. make, 4. do, 5. make, 6. do, 7. make, 8. do.

If you got 6 or more correct, your collocation instinct is already strong. Keep reinforcing with daily reading. If you scored under 6, do not worry — review the lists above one more time and try again tomorrow.

Final Tips for Sounding Natural | 讓英文更道地的最後建議

Collocations are not just grammar — they are the rhythm of natural English. A Taiwan professional who masters make and do will sound dramatically more fluent than someone with a bigger vocabulary but poor collocation control.

Here are three habits to lock in long term:

• Notice collocations when you read. Underline every “make + noun” and “do + noun” you see in English news (BBC, CNN, Reuters). Your brain will start building a private collocation dictionary automatically.
• Use a learner dictionary. Cambridge and Oxford learner dictionaries show common collocations in every entry — far more useful than direct Chinese-English translation.
• Trust your ear. If a phrase sounds strange, it probably is. Natural English follows patterns more than rules.

Bookmark this page, practice the 30 collocations every day for a week, and your English will already be in the top 10 percent of Taiwan professionals. 加油!

情報源 | 資料未来ソース

• ケンブリッジ辞書 — collocation entries for make and do
• Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries — collocation patterns and example sentences
• British Council LearnEnglish — ESL grammar and vocabulary lessons
• ブリティッシュ・カウンシル — global English teaching resources