Beginner Lesson 6
Creation - Day 4

Grammar Exercise

The Verb "Make"

In verse 16 from Genesis 1, we see the verb make. The most common meaning of make is to create something by combining materials or parts.

In today’s verses from Genesis, God makes two powerful lights, and he makes the stars. Of course, God can make things, like stars, from nothing! However, people need materials or parts.

Sample Verses with "Make"

Here are more examples of make:

Make it (Noah’s Ark) 133 meters long, 22 meters wide, and 13 meters high. (Genesis 6:15)

Look how the wild flowers grow! They don’t work hard to make their clothes.  (Luke 12:27)

Another Common Meaning of "Make"

Another very common meaning of make is to cause something to happen, or to cause something to exist. Here are more examples:

Whenever I mention you in my prayers, it makes makes me happy. (Philippians 1:4)

I ask God to make it possible for me to visit you. (Romans 1:10)

God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. (Romans 15:5)

Conjugate the Verb "Make"

In the present simple tense, make is regular.

I make
you (singular) make
he makes, she makes, it makes
we make
you (plural) make
they make

"Make" in the Past Simple

In today’s verse, make is used in the past simple tense. In this tense, it is irregular. The k becomes a d. It is the same for all subjects.

God made two powerful lights. He also made the stars.  (Genesis 1:16)

The Difference Between "Make" and "Do"

Maybe in your language the word for make and the word for do are the same. In English, we have two different words. For example, you can say “do my homework” but you cannot say, “make my homework.”

Let’s see how do and make are different.

What Does "Do" Mean?

Do usually means work on an activity or a task. Use do when you talk about the action or work needed to accomplish something.

Use make to talk about the thing you are creating. Here are some examples:

I do my homework in the evening.
We do our taxes in April.
They do the dishes together after dinner.

I make tea in the morning.
She makes phone calls at work.
The children make a mess.

Here’s an easy way to remember:
Make means to create something
Do means to perform a task

Expressions With "Make" and "Do"

 There are also many common expressions that use do and make. These expressions may not use the simple definitions of do and make. That’s why it is very important to listen, listen, listen! Soon you will learn which verb is correct by listening to other people.

Here are some common expressions with do:

do a favor (do something kind for someone who asks you)
do without (function without something you need)
do your best
do nothing
do business

Here are some common expressions with make:

make friends
make a phone call
make sure (be certain)
make time for something
make sense (to be easily understood)
make up (to end an argument, or to use lipstick, mascara, etc.)
make fun (to tease)

Would you like to learn more? Find more expressions and phrasal verbs with make and do here.

Practice Makes Perfect!

When you learn new grammar, practice by using it as much as possible. Here is a worksheet about do and make.

Worksheet about "Do" and "Make"

Now click the button to go to the writing exercise.

Go to the Writing Exercise