Made when to use it?
Question: This week we answer a question from Hamza. He writes, “What is the difference between "make" & "do"? How and when should I use them?”
Answer:
Dear Hamza,
“Make” and “do” are similar verbs in English. There are some words that go together with “make” and others that go together with “do.” In other words, there are fixed expressions in English with both of these verbs, and you just have to learn them. But there are general rules you can follow:
Let’s look at some examples of each verb.
Make
Here are examples of “make” for things we produce. These can be something you can touch, like food and drinks.
I made a cake for your birthday.
Please make some tea before you leave.
Sometimes you cannot see or touch the thing that is created.
Your dog is making too much noise.
We are making progress on our study.
She made plans to go to a movie with her sister.
Do
Let’s look at use of “do” for work or jobs. In another “Ask a Teacher” we talked about the questions, “What do you do? and “What are you doing?” Here are some other examples of using “do” to talk about work at home.
I have to do the planting every fall.
Mom says, “No TV until you do your homework.”
Another way to use “do” is with words like “something,” “anything” and “nothing.”
I did not do anything yesterday.
Are you doing something interesting over the holiday?
The police did nothing to stop the crimes.
Next time you are trying to decide between “make” and “do,” please keep these rules in mind. The more you listen to and read English, the easier it will be to choose between these verbs.
Do you have a question for the VOA English teachers? Please email us with your question. Our email is learningenglish@voanews.com.
I’m Jill Robbins.
Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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cake – n. a sweet cooked food, often eaten to celebrate something.
Make and Made are two verbs that refer to the same thing. That is to say that both ‘make’ and ‘made’ originate from the same verb form ‘to make’. The main difference between make and made is that ‘Make’ is the present tense of the verb while ‘Made’ is the past tense of the verb. Let us take a closer look at this difference between Make and Made in this article.
Make is a verb in the present tense. To make can mean to create, to prepare something, to cause something to exist or happen or to compel someone to do something. For example, “My mother is making a dress for me” means that mother is creating a new dress. Make is also used to refer to the act of putting something in a proper state. Look at the examples below to understand differences uses of the verb.
“She forgot to make the bed.”
“Make a list of all his good qualities.”
“She does not even know how to make a cup of ”
“These plants make your house look ”
“She slapped him because she wanted to make him ”
“Anyone can make a mistake.”
“Do not make unnecessary trouble.”
Make is also used as a noun in some instances. If we are describing the trade name or the manufacturer of a product or referring to the structure of something, we can use ‘make’ as a noun. “He knew the make and model of every car in the garage.”
Made is the simple past tense and the past participle of ‘Make.’ Made is used to describe creations, preparations, arrangements that took place in the past. For instance,
“She made the bed all over again.”
“She made a new dress for her granddaughter.”
“He kicked the door and made a dent.”
“I’ve made a date with her, can you join us?”
However, ‘made’ is especially used to indicate the composition or structure of something. More accurately, it used to indicate that something is made out of something. For example,“This dress is made of cotton.” or “This door is made of glass.”
Made can be used as an adjective when it is combined with another word. “Self-made” and “Handmade” are good examples for this.
Make is the present tense
Made is the past tense of the verb Make.
Make is used as a noun when referring to the manufacturer, trade name of a product.
Made is also used as the past participle. Made is especially used when referring to the composition or origin of something (made of)
Made can be used as an adjective by combining with another word. (Ex: handmade)
Made is the past tense and past participle of the verb make, meaning to create from materials. As an adjective, made describes something as being built or fashioned in a certain way or something that is guaranteed to have success or good fortune in the future. Made has a few other senses as an adjective.
Made vs Make
Make and made are verbs in English language that are similar in meaning and confuse those trying to master the language. Though make is used in the present tense and made in the past tense, there are usages of these words that create confusion in the minds of students. This happens because of the fact that made is also used as an adjective, whereas make appears as a noun in some sentences. Let us take a closer look at the usage of the two verbs make and made, to highlight their differences.
Make
To make something is to bring it into existence like you make a cake, a dress, a piece of art, or a recipe. Make is also used where something is caused or started as in making trouble and making a war. You can also make a person angry or happy. Make is a verb that is also used to refer to the act of putting something in a proper state or condition. You make the bed, and you also make lunch or dinner. You also make merry and make sure. Take a look at the following examples.
• Please ask him to make breakfast
• Make sure that the battery of the car is in charged condition
• Make love and not war
• Do not make trouble while I am studying
Made
Made is the past tense of make. We use this verb in the past tense as in handmade furniture, readymade garments, and so on. You say you made a cake to indicate the fact that the event took place in the past, but when you say that this bat is made up of wood, you reflect the fact about the substance used in producing the bat. We talk of made for each other couples to indicate how well they match each other or complement each other. Take a look at the following examples.
• This dress is made of cotton
• John and Helen are made for each other
• I made the coffee for her last evening
• This car is made in Germany
• He is a self-made man
Made vs Make
• Make and made are verbs that are used commonly to indicate the act of producing or causing something.
• Make is the present tense whereas made is the past tense.
• Made is the past participle of make.
• Made in a particular country means the object has been manufactured in that country.
• You can make someone happy or angry, and you can also make merry.
