English Collocations Guide: Make, Do, Take, Have and 100+ Common Combinations

One of my students once said to me: "Masha, I made all my homework last night." I knew exactly what she meant, but the sentence sounded wrong to any English ear. The correct version is "I did all my homework."

But why? Both "make" and "do" mean to perform an action. Why is it "do homework" but "make dinner"? Why "take a shower" but "have a bath"? Why "heavy rain" but not "strong rain"?

Welcome to the wonderful, maddening world of English collocations.

What Are Collocations?

A collocation is a pair or group of words that naturally go together in English. They are not grammar rules — they are word habits. Native speakers have heard these combinations thousands of times, so they "sound right." Other combinations, even if they mean the same thing, "sound wrong."

• "Make a mistake" sounds right. "Do a mistake" sounds wrong.
• "Heavy rain" sounds right. "Strong rain" sounds wrong.
• "Fast food" sounds right. "Quick food" sounds wrong.

You cannot figure out collocations through logic. You have to learn them. But the good news is that once you know the most common ones, your English immediately sounds more natural.

Make vs. Do: The Big Divide

This is the most confusing collocation pair for ESL learners. Here is the general pattern:

MAKE is usually about creating or producing something: DO is usually about performing an action or completing a task:

But honestly, the pattern has so many exceptions that it is better to just learn the specific collocations.

Common "MAKE" Collocations

Creating something:

• make breakfast / lunch / dinner
• make coffee / tea
• make a cake

Decisions and plans:

• make a decision
• make a choice
• make plans
• make an appointment
• make a reservation

Communication:

• make a phone call
• make a comment
• make a suggestion
• make a complaint
• make a speech
• make a promise
• make an excuse

Money:

• make money
• make a profit
• make a living

Reactions and effects:

• make a mistake
• make a mess
• make noise
• make progress
• make an effort
• make an impression
• make a difference
• make sense

Other essential ones:

• make friends
• make sure
• make up your mind
• make room
• make time

Common "DO" Collocations

Tasks and work:

• do homework
• do housework
• do the dishes
• do the laundry
• do the shopping
• do the cooking (but also "make dinner" — English is cruel)

General activities:

• do your best
• do a favour
• do business
• do exercise
• do research
• do damage
• do good / do harm

Jobs and duties:

• do a job
• do work
• do your duty

Appearance:

• do your hair
• do your nails
• do your makeup

Other essential ones:

• do well / do badly
• do nothing
• do something / do anything

The Quick Test

Not sure whether to use "make" or "do"? Ask yourself:

• Am I creating something new? → Probably make
• Am I performing/completing a task? → Probably do
• Still not sure? → Look it up. Seriously. Some of these just have to be memorized.

Take vs. Have

Another pair that causes confusion, especially because British and American English differ here.

Common "TAKE" Collocations

• take a shower (American English prefers this)
• take a bath
• take a break
• take a nap
• take a walk
• take a look
• take a photo / take a picture
• take a test / take an exam
• take notes
• take medicine
• take advice
• take a seat
• take a chance / take a risk
• take care of
• take place (= happen)
• take time
• take turns
• take responsibility
• take action

Common "HAVE" Collocations

• have a bath (British English prefers this)
• have a shower (British)
• have breakfast / lunch / dinner
• have a drink
• have a conversation
• have a meeting
• have a good time
• have fun
• have a headache / have a cold
• have an idea
• have a problem
• have a baby
• have a look (British)
• have an experience
• have an argument
• have a relationship
• have a seat (same as "take a seat")

Adjective + Noun Collocations

These are the ones that make the difference between sounding like a textbook and sounding like a natural English speaker.

Strong Collocations (Words That Almost Always Go Together)

• heavy rain / heavy traffic / heavy smoker
• strong wind / strong coffee / strong opinion / strong accent
• bright idea / bright future / bright colours
• deep sleep / deep breath / deep conversation
• hard work / hard time / hard evidence
• fast food / fast asleep
• wide range / wide awake
• keen interest / keen sense
• high speed / high quality / high priority / high temperature
• low cost / low price / low risk
• big deal / big mistake / big difference
• great success / great deal / great opportunity
• serious problem / serious illness / serious damage
• close friend / close relationship / close attention

Common Mistakes

• "strong rain" → heavy rain
• "big rain" → heavy rain
• "quick food" → fast food
• "powerful tea" → strong tea
• "large mistake" → big mistake
• "hard wind" → strong wind

Verb + Noun Collocations

Beyond make/do/take/have, there are many other important verb-noun collocations:

• pay attention / pay a visit / pay a compliment / pay the bill
• catch a cold / catch a bus / catch someone's eye / catch fire
• keep a secret / keep a promise / keep in touch / keep a diary / keep calm
• break a promise / break the law / break a record / break the news / break a habit
• save time / save money / save energy / save someone's life
• get a job / get married / get dressed / get lost / get better / get started
• give advice / give permission / give a speech / give an answer
• come to a conclusion / come to an agreement / come first
• go bald / go crazy / go bankrupt / go wrong
• run a business / run a risk / run out of (something)

Adverb + Adjective Collocations

• deeply concerned / deeply grateful / deeply involved
• highly recommended / highly unlikely / highly skilled / highly effective
• perfectly normal / perfectly clear / perfectly fine
• fully aware / fully committed / fully understand
• bitterly cold / bitterly disappointed
• completely different / completely wrong / completely free
• absolutely right / absolutely essential / absolutely delicious
• utterly ridiculous / utterly impossible

How to Learn Collocations Effectively

1. Notice Them When Reading

When you read English, start paying attention to word combinations, not just individual words. When you see "make a decision," do not just note "decision" — note the whole phrase.

2. Learn Collocations as Chunks

When you add a new word to your vocabulary, always learn it with its most common collocations:

• Do not just learn "appointment" — learn "make an appointment"
• Do not just learn "attention" — learn "pay attention"
• Do not just learn "research" — learn "do research"

3. Use a Collocations Dictionary

The Oxford Collocations Dictionary is an incredible resource. For any word, it tells you which words naturally go with it. There are also free online collocation checkers.

4. Group Collocations by Verb

As I have done in this guide, organize collocations by the verb (make, do, take, have, etc.). This makes them easier to review and compare.

5. Practice in Context

Write sentences using collocations, and practice using them in conversation. Our AI conversation tool is great for this — you can practice using specific collocations and get feedback on whether your word combinations sound natural.

6. Test Yourself

Cover the verb and try to remember which one goes with each noun:

• ___ a mistake (make)
• ___ homework (do)
• ___ a shower (take)
• ___ fun (have)

Try our grammar quiz for collocation practice exercises.

Why Collocations Matter So Much

Getting collocations right is often what separates intermediate speakers from advanced ones. Your grammar can be perfect, your pronunciation clear, and your vocabulary rich — but if you say "do a mistake" instead of "make a mistake," you will sound like a learner rather than a fluent speaker.

The beautiful thing is that collocations are one of the easiest things to improve because they are just combinations to learn. You do not need to understand complex grammar rules. You just need exposure and practice.

Start with the make/do list in this guide. Learn five new collocations a day. Within a month, you will notice a significant difference in how natural your English sounds.

And that will make a big difference. (See what I did there? Make a difference. Not do a difference.)