Word Confusion: Do versus Make

Posted June 3, 2021 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

After a year without, we’re finally starting our Stitch ‘n Bitch group back up, where we can do what we like and make our particular works of art.

Yep, do and make are both actions, in general, however…

When you do something, you’re performing an action.

When you make something, you’re creating something through an action.

Yes, this is a simplistic approach as do is also an abbreviation and a noun while make is also a noun, but the primary use of both word confusions is as a verb.

I do like to make clothes while my friend does like to make dinner.

Both of us are performing an action, but with make, we’re each creating a final product — clothes and dinner.

Word Confusions…

…started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

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Do	Make
Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Dictionary.com: do; The Free Dictionary: do; Merriam-Webster: do
Do It Yourself Magazine Cover by Katarina Roccella is under the CC BY-ND 2.0 license, via Flickr.	A Nice Cup of Tea by Jeremy Keith is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. — Hmmm, I think I’ll make myself a cuppa…
Part of Grammar:
Abbreviation; Noun ¹, ²; Verb ¹, auxiliary, intransitive, & transitive Plural for the noun: dos or do’s Second person present verb: do, [Archaic] doest, dost Third person present verb: does, [Archaic] doeth, doth Past tense: did Past tense, second person: did, [Archaic] didst Past participle: done Gerund or present participle: doing	Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun and third person present verb: makes Past tense or past participle: made Gerund or present participle: making
Abbreviation: Defense order Ditto Double occupancy [All caps] Doctor of optometry [All caps] Doctor of osteopathic medicine [All caps] Doctor of osteopathy Noun: [Informal] Short for hairdo ¹ Also ‘do [Chiefly British; informal] A party or other social event [British; archaic or informal] A swindle or hoax [Music; in solmization] First and eighth note of a major scale ² The note C in the fixed-do system Verb, auxiliary: Used before a verb (But not with be, can, may, ought, shall, will) in questions and negative statements Used to make tag questions Used in negative commands Used to refer to a verb already mentioned Used to give emphasis to a positive verb Used in positive commands to give polite encouragement Used with inversion of a subject and verb when an adverbial phrase begins a clause for emphasis [Slang; also doo] Excrement Verb, intransitive: Achieve or complete, in particular [Informal] Finish Act or behave in a specified way Make progress or perform in a specified way Get on Be suitable or acceptable Verb, transitive: Perform an action (the precise nature of which is often unspecified) Perform a particular task Act or behave in a specified way Have a specified effect on Work on something to bring it to completion or to a required state Make or have available and provide Solve Work out Cook food to completion or to a specified degree [Often in questions] Work at for a living Result in Produce or give a performance of a particular play, opera, etc. Perform a particular role, song, etc., or imitate a particular person in order to entertain people [Informal] Take a narcotic drug Attend to someone [Vulgar slang] Have sexual intercourse with [Informal; do it] Have sexual intercourse [Informal; do it] Urinate Defecate Achieve or complete, in particular Travel a specified distance Travel at a specified speed Make a particular journey Achieve a specified sales figure [Informal] Visit as a tourist, especially in a superficial or hurried way Spend a specified period of time, typically in prison or in a particular occupation [Be done] Be over [Be done with; have done with] Give up concern for Have finished with [Informal] Beat up Kill [Usually be done] Ruin Rob (a place) [British] Swindle [British; informal; usually be done for, get done for] Prosecute Convict Be suitable or acceptable	Noun: The manufacturer or trade name of a particular product The structure or composition of something The making of electrical contact Verb, intransitive: [With adverbial of direction] Go or prepare to go in a particular direction [With infinitive] Act as if one is about to perform an action [Nautical; of the tide] Begin to flow or ebb Verb, transitive: Form (something) by putting parts together or combining substances Construct Create [make something into] Alter something so that it forms or constitutes (something else) Compose, prepare, or draw up (something written or abstract) Prepare (a dish, drink, or meal) for consumption Arrange bedclothes tidily on (a bed) ready for use Arrange and light materials for (a fire) [Electronics] Complete or close (a circuit) Cause (something) to exist or come about Bring about [With complement or infinitive] Cause to become or seem Carry out, perform, or produce (a specified action, movement, or sound) Communicate or express (an idea, request, or requirement) [Archaic] Enter into a contract of (marriage) [With complement] Appoint or designate (someone) to a position [With complement] Represent or cause to appear in a specified way Cause or ensure the success or advancement of [With infinitive] Compel (someone) to do something Constitute Amount to Serve as or become through development or adaptation Consider to be Estimate as Agree or decide on (a specified arrangement), typically one concerning a time or place Gain or earn (money or profit) Arrive at (a place) within a specified time or in time for (a train or other transport) [make it] Succeed in something Become successful Achieve a place in Achieve the rank of [North American; informal] Induce (someone) to have sex with one [In bridge, whist, and similar games] Win (a trick) Win a trick with (a card) Win the number of tricks that fulfills (a contract) Shuffle (a pack of cards) for dealing
Examples:
Abbreviation: The DoD put out a DO. Lister’s dead, and do three Miami drug dealers and a lady. A hotel might charge an individual $100 per night for a room, but charge a DO only $130. A DO is a primary eye health care doctor while an ophthalmologist specializes in surgical procedures. DOs are fully licensed physicians who emphasize a whole-person approach to treatment and care. Noun: I need a new do for the party. Hetty and Liam are having a do this weekend. Are you coming? It was a huge do at the time. The first tonic note of a major scale, do starts of that familiar do, re, me, fa, so, la, ti, do. “The tonic sol-fa method popularized the seven syllables commonly used in English-speaking countries: do” (Solfège). Verb, auxiliary: Do you have any flour? Did George come by? I do adore chocolate. Don’t you do that! Do you really want to go there? You do paint beautifully. I do like your new dress. Rarely does it happen that it doesn’t rain on my birthday. There’s dog do everywhere! Verb, intransitive: Pete did that. He had done the work. Do as I say, not as I do. He is doing well at college. He does badly on tests. Will this steak do for two of us? Verb, transitive: Do nothing unless you hear from me. Do your homework. Don’t be a fool. Just ignore her insults — she doesn’t do polite. He has already done the work. This restaurant doesn’t do lunch on Sundays. He could do the crossword if he wanted. Can you do this problem? The chicken is done, hon. What do you do on the weekends? That does the trick. We did Shakespeare in the Park last year. Mary did Helen Keller in her last film. The stupid jerk is doing heroin. Let’s do lunch next week. I’d do him in a heartbeat. Get on with it, Rover. Do your business. George was trying to do some work. We did twenty miles on our hike yesterday. We were only doing thirty miles an hour. Jane and Hal did the beach last week. We did it! We intend to do Belgium, Germany, and France in five days. He’s doing time for murder. He just wants to be done. I’m done with him. Do away with him, and be quick about it. He will be done for. The law got him for doing banks. That crooked dealer did him for $500 at poker. The DA will ensure he’s done for. Do you want a pink one or will a blue one do?	Noun: We need to know the make, model, and year of his car. What’s the make of that knife. Did we make contact? Verb, intransitive: He struggled to his feet and made toward the car. She made as if to leave the room. It’s an ugly place to be caught on a lee shore with a westerly gale and the tide making. Verb, transitive: My grandmother made a dress for me. The body is made from four pieces of maple. Baseball bats are made of ash. Buffalo’s milk can be made into cheese. She made her will. She was making lunch for Lucy and Francis. I’ll make us both a cup of tea. After breakfast you’d have until 8:25 to make your bed. Make up a fire while I put up the tents. Making a circuit with your kids is an easy way to demonstrate how electricity works. The drips had made a pool on the floor. Decorative features make brickwork more interesting. The best way to disarm your critics is to make them laugh. Anyone can make a mistake. Unger made a speech of forty minutes. We made a deal. Make him an offer he can’t refuse. I tend to make heavy demands on people. It was a marriage made in heaven. He was made a colonel in the Mexican army. The sale price and extended warranty make it an excellent value. It was an example of the work which really made Wordsworth’s reputation. She bought me a brandy and made me drink it. They made an unusual duo. This fern makes a good houseplant. How many are there? I make it sixteen. Let’s make it 7:30. He’d made a lot of money out of hardware. We’ve got a lot to do if you’re going to make the shuttle. They didn’t always make it on time. He waited confidently for his band to make it. These dogs seldom make the news. They made it to the semifinals. He wasn’t going to make captain. He had been trying to make Cynthia for two years now. His alleged quest to make it with the world’s most attractive women is a joke. We need to make this trick. Hah! He made the trick with a two of spades. She can make that contract, if she plays it right. Peter made the cards and handed them to Stern to deal.
Derivatives:
Adjective: do-it-yourself, do-nothing, do-or-die, doable Noun: do-gooder, do-it-yourselfer, do-nothing, do-over, doing	Adjective: makable, makeable
Phrasal Verb
do away with do by do for do nothing for do someone down do someone in do someone out of do someone over do someone up do something down do something for do something out do something over do something up do with do without	make after make away with make away with someone make away with something make for make for someone make for something make of make off make off with something make out make out someone make out something make out that make out to make over make over someone make over something make someone out make someone over make someone up make something of someone make something of something make something out make something over make something up make up make up for make up for something make up someone make up something make up to make up to someone make with make with something making out with
History of the Word:
From the Old English dōn, of Germanic origin. Related to the Dutch doen and the German tun from an Indo-European root shared by the Greek tithēmi meaning I place and the Latin facere meaning make, do. Mid-18th century from the Italian do, an arbitrarily chosen syllable replacing ut, taken from a Latin hymn.	Old English macian is of West Germanic origin, from a base meaning fitting.

C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan…which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them…and we’ll all benefit!

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