{"id":4563,"date":"2026-05-29T23:07:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T23:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/make-vs-do-collocations-taiwan-pros-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T23:09:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T23:09:08","slug":"make-vs-do-collocations-taiwan-pros-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/th\/make-vs-do-collocations-taiwan-pros-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Make vs Do Collocations: 40 Pairs Taiwan Pros Confuse (2026) | \u82f1\u6587\u642d\u914d\u8a5e Make \u9084\u662f Do"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u672c\u6587\u91cd\u9ede:<\/strong> \u9019\u7bc7\u6587\u7ae0\u5c08\u70ba\u53f0\u7063\u4e0a\u73ed\u65cf (\u53f0\u7063\u4e0a\u73ed\u65cf) \u6574\u7406\u51fa 40 \u7d44 make \u548c do \u7684\u642d\u914d\u8a5e (\u82f1\u6587\u642d\u914d\u8a5e)\uff0c\u89e3\u6c7a\u4e2d\u6587\u6bcd\u8a9e\u8005\u6700\u5e38\u641e\u6df7\u7684\u82f1\u6587\u7528\u6cd5\u3002\u5167\u5bb9\u6db5\u84cb\u5546\u696d\u82f1\u6587 (\u5546\u696d\u82f1\u6587)\u3001\u591a\u76ca (\u591a\u76ca) \u8003\u8a66\u5e38\u898b\u984c\u578b\uff0c\u4ee5\u53ca email \u66f8\u4fe1\u7bc4\u4f8b\uff0c\u5e6b\u4f60\u4e00\u6b21\u641e\u61c2 make \u9084\u662f do\u3002<\/p>\n\n

If you have ever written “I will do<\/em> a phone call” or “Please make<\/em> your homework,” you are not alone. The make vs do confusion is the single most common collocation slip among Taiwanese English learners \u2014 and it is not because your English is weak. It is because Chinese gives you one verb (\u505a) where English gives you two.<\/p>\n\n

Native speakers rarely think about this rule consciously. They just know that you make<\/em> a decision (\u505a\u6c7a\u5b9a) but do<\/em> the dishes (\u6d17\u7897), that you do<\/em> business (\u505a\u751f\u610f) but make<\/em> money (\u8cfa\u9322). For Taiwan professionals preparing for TOEIC (\u591a\u76ca), IELTS (\u96c5\u601d), or daily business email (\u5546\u696d\u82f1\u6587\u66f8\u4fe1), getting these collocations right is the fastest way to sound natural. This guide gives you the 40 most useful pairs, the underlying rule that ties them together, and the tricky cases where even advanced learners stumble.<\/p>\n\n

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\"Stressed
Stressed guy reading business contract shaking head throwing pen in office<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Why Make and Do Confuse Chinese Speakers | \u70ba\u4ec0\u9ebc\u4e2d\u6587\u6bcd\u8a9e\u8005\u5bb9\u6613\u641e\u6df7<\/h2>\n\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=A9-X8ryptrY<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Mandarin, the verb \u505a covers an enormous range of actions: \u505a\u6c7a\u5b9a (make a decision), \u505a\u751f\u610f (do business), \u505a\u98ef (cook \/ make food), \u505a\u4f5c\u696d (do homework), \u505a\u904b\u52d5 (do exercise), \u505a\u670b\u53cb (make friends). Notice how one Chinese verb maps to either make or do in English depending on the noun. There is no internal logic in Chinese that tells you which one to pick \u2014 you simply have to learn the English pairing.<\/p>\n\n

This is why memorising collocations matters more than studying grammar rules. A Taiwanese student with strong grammar can still write “I want to do a good impression in the meeting” because the underlying Chinese \u505a feels natural. The fix is not more grammar \u2014 it is collocation pairing practice.<\/p>\n\n

If you want a broader introduction to why English collocations behave this way, see our earlier piece on why “strong rain” sounds wrong<\/a>. This article zooms in on the make\/do problem specifically because it is the most common stumble for Taiwanese English\u5b78\u7fd2\u8005 (\u82f1\u6587\u5b78\u7fd2\u8005).<\/p>\n\n

The Core Rule: Make = Create, Do = Perform | \u6838\u5fc3\u898f\u5247\uff1aMake \u662f\u5275\u9020\uff0cDo \u662f\u57f7\u884c<\/h2>\n\n

There is a useful guideline that covers about 80 percent of cases. It will not catch every exception, but it gives you a mental anchor when you have to guess.<\/p>\n\n

Use MAKE when you create or produce something | \u5275\u9020\u3001\u7522\u751f\u7528 Make<\/h3>\n\n

If the result of the action is a new object, idea, sound, or outcome that did not exist before, English usually wants make<\/strong>. You make<\/em> a cake (the cake did not exist), make<\/em> a noise (the sound is created), make<\/em> a decision (a new choice is formed), make<\/em> a plan (the plan is generated in your mind).<\/p>\n\n

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\"a
a woman sitting at a desk writing on a piece of paper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Use DO when you perform an activity or task | \u57f7\u884c\u3001\u9032\u884c\u7528 Do<\/h3>\n\n

If the action is a routine task, a job, or an unspecified activity, English usually wants do<\/strong>. You do<\/em> the dishes (a chore), do<\/em> your homework (a task), do<\/em> business (an activity), do<\/em> exercise (a routine), do<\/em> research (a process).<\/p>\n\n

A quick test: ask yourself “is something new being created?” If yes, lean toward make<\/strong>. If you are just performing an action that exists in the world, lean toward do<\/strong>. This will not catch idioms like “make the bed” (you are not creating a bed) but it covers most everyday situations.<\/p>\n\n

20 Essential MAKE Collocations | 20 \u500b\u5fc5\u80cc Make \u642d\u914d\u8a5e<\/h2>\n\n

These are the make pairs that appear most often in business email, TOEIC reading passages, and everyday conversation. Memorise them as fixed chunks, not as separate words.<\/p>\n\n