English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate » Unit 89: Expressions with do and make

Word List
  • allowance
  • arrangement
  • attempt
  • decision
  • do business
  • do without
  • do your best
  • effort
  • excuse
  • fuss
  • exercise n, v
  • gardening
  • gesture
  • homework
  • housework
  • impression
  • loss
  • make love
  • make off
  • make out
  • make up
  • mistake
  • noise
  • profit
  • success
  • suggestion
  • war
  • agreement
Exercises

89.1 ‣ Here are some different ways in which do up, make up and make out can be used. What is the meaning of the phrasal verb in each case?

  1. Take this prescription to the chemist and she'll make it up for you.
  2. Can you make out the little white house on the mountain side? _____
  3. A human being is made up of many, often conflicting, desires. _____
  4. The present was beautifully done up in gold paper. _____
  5. I just can't make Joe out. He's so strange. _____
  6. Let's advertise the talk and hope we make up the numbers a bit. _____
  7. He made out that he had never loved anyone else. She believed him. _____
  8. We're planning to do up our bathroom at the weekend. It's looking rather old and dull. _____

89.2 ‣ Add the necessary prepositions or particles to complete this story.

Last weekend we decided to start doing 1 our bedroom. We agreed that we could do 2_____ the old fireplace in the corner. As we began to remove it from the wall we found some old photographs done 4_____ in a bundle behind a loose brick. At first we could not make 4_____ what they were but we wiped them clean and realised they were all of the same young man. We spent an enjoyable evening making 5_____ stories to explain why the pictures had been hidden.

89.3 ‣ In each sentence below, there is an error with choice of particle. Correct the mistakes.

  1. I'm going to do out with my old laptop and buy a new one. It's too old and too slow.
  2. This weekend we are planning to make to the seaside.
    _____
  3. Vast amounts of money do not always make of happiness.
    _____
  4. Your shoelaces are untied. Do them in or you'll trip over.
    _____
  5. They like to make away that they are very important people.
    _____
  6. Thieves robbed the bank and made out with £1,000,000.
    _____

89.4 ‣ Complete the following sentences using an appropriate expression from C.

  1. Pacifist posters in the 1960s used to say 'MAKE LOVE NOT !'
  2. It doesn't matter if you pass the exam or not, as long as you do _____.
  3. Companies that once made a huge _____ are now going bankrupt.
  4. I don't like doing _____ but someone has to clean, wash, iron and cook!
  5. You must make _____ the fact that he's only seven years old.
  6. Dressing smartly for an interview helps you to make _____.
  7. Her company does a lot of _____ in East Asia selling educational software.
  8. Do you do much _____? Yes, I go to the gym three times a week.

89.5 ‣

Over to you

Which of these things do you think you could do without and why?
  1. mobile phone
  2. TV
  3. sunglasses
  4. laptop or tablet

How often do you do the shopping, the cooking, the washing-up?
Answer Key
A ‣ Phrasal verbs with do and make

phrasal verbmeaningexample
do withoutmanage withoutWe’ll have to do without a holiday this year as money is so short.
do awaywith abolish, get rid ofIt should be our ambition to do away with poverty in the world.
make formove in the direction ofLet’s make for the city centre and look for a restaurant there.
make ofthink (opinion)What do you make of the new software?
make offleave hurriedlyHe made off as soon as he heard their car turn into the drive.
make up forcompensate forThe superb food at the hotel made up for the uncomfortable rooms.

B ‣ Meanings of phrasal verbs

Some phrasal verbs have a number of different meanings, e.g. do up can mean not only 'fasten' but also 'renovate' and 'put into a bundle'. Similarly, make out can mean 'claim', 'manage to see' and 'understand'; make up can mean 'compose' or 'invent'; it can also mean 'constitute' or 'form', 'put cosmetics on', 'prepare by mixing together various ingredients' and 'make something more numerous or complete'.

C ‣ Collocations with do and make

There are a lot of other common collocations based on do and make. Note that most combinations referring to activities, work or duty use do whereas those which lead to an end product (e.g. tea, a cake, a noise, a toy boat, a profit) use make.

You do: your homework / the housework / some gardening / exercise / the washing-up / your best / the shopping / the cooking / business with ..., and so on.

You make: a cup of tea / arrangements / an agreement / a suggestion / a decision / war / an attempt / a phone call / the best of ... / an effort / an excuse / a mistake / a profit / a loss / love / the most of / a noise / a good or bad impression / a success of ... / allowances for ...1 / a gesture / a face / fun of ... / a fuss of ...2 / a go (a success) of ... , and so on.

1 consider someone's situation and not judge them harshly
2 give someone a lot of attention and treat them well

Common mistakes

We say: When I do my homework, I try not to make too many mistakes. (NOT When I make my homework, I try not to do too many mistakes.)

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