Distinguish the differences between “doing” and “doing”
Learners of English as a Foreign Language, such as those whose first or L1 language is Spanish, may have considerable difficulty distinguishing when to use “make” and when to use “do.” Why? It is because in Spanish, for example, the same verb, “to do”, is commonly used to represent both. The trick, then, is to find a way to help these English learners make the distinction.
This is how I do it.
Do
Essentially “doing” means “creating” or making something happen or producing a result.
You bake a cake, you make noise, you make trouble, or you make friends.
Do
On the other hand, “doing” generally means simply performing an action without alluding to the results. So you do aerobics or exercises, you do business or you do your job. You can do it right or wrong, do it better or worse.
Other uses of Make and Do
Depending on the context, both make and do can be used in a sentence to give it different meanings. A good example is homework. Teachers do homework, but students do homework.
The two verbs are also part of dozens of idioms and expressions. Sometimes this can make your distinction less clear, but generally the definitions given above are still valid. Some additional examples that use “Do” and “Make” are:
DO
Dance, make a deal, do whatever they tell you, get rid, do housework, do favors, do harm, do it yourself, do it (or something) again, do it with someone, do the dishes, do the laundry , do the right thing, make time, do it well, do without, do the best you can, do your duty
DO
Make a contract, make a delivery, make a difference, make a list, make a mess, make a phone call, make a point, make a profit, make a promise, make amends, make an effort, make believe, make contact , make enemies, make fun of someone, make love, make money, make news, kiss, change (very similar in the context of doing it), make up, make space, make sense, make someone happy, make someone laugh , make someone sad, make sure, make the bed, make time, make space, make clues, make up (it has multiple meanings), make up a story (the same as creating a story), make a decision, wage war and make way
This is just a quick reference list to give you an idea of the range and distinction that the use of “do” and “make” can have in the colloquial English language. For the most part, after a session explaining and demonstrating these language elements in context, my students have much less trouble distinguishing when to use “do” and when to use “do.” I hope this helps you and your ESL learners as well.