Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take

This appendix lists collocations of the verbs make, do, take, and have.

In many of these usages the verbs are "light verbs" that lend relatively little semantic content. Other light verbs include: give, pay, put, raise, offer.

For people who are learning English, or even who speak it moderately well, these four verbs present difficulties when it comes to many collocations. For example, what about the shopping? Is it do the shopping, or make the shopping? How about photograph (see picture)? Do a photograph or make a photograph? Neither! You should take a photograph... and so on. This appendix is an attempt to clear up some of the most common doubts and errors.

This is not a definitive list. The intention is orientative. All the following nouns and expressions can, of course, take other verbs. The four options do, make, take, have are in the sense of doing the activity. Have, for instance, normally indicates possession, but that is not the sense of the verb as used in each of the collocations listed in this table. To have a bath, for example, does NOT normally mean to possess a bath. In each case, the idea of the verb is to do the activity.

Readers of this appendix are strongly recommended to read the main entry for the noun or expression to check for correct usage and meaning.

Contributors are encouraged to place Usage notes into this appendix similarly, and also into the collocate's main entry, such as:

• We normally do the shopping.
• We normally make or take a (tele)phone call.

...and so on, along with the Appendix: link to this page.

Collocations

Term	do	make	take	have	notes
A
action			take action		To take action means to act positively and decisively to resolve a problem. (light)
advantage			take advantage, take advantage of	have an advantage	To take advantage of something or someone means to profit from the momentary situation of the person or thing. To have an advantage means to be in a better position than someone else.
amends		make amends			To make amends means to compensate for a loss or injury.
application		make an application	take an application		To make an application means to apply for something. Usually a job, or a bank account, etc. (light). To take an application from someone means to allow someone to apply to you or to a party whom you are representing.
appointment		make an appointment		have an appointment	To make an appointment means to organise a meeting with other people. To have an appointment means you are to participate in a meeting with other people.
argument		make an argument		have an argument	To have an argument with someone means to argue with that person. (light) To make an argument for something means to present a logical argument in its favor.
arrangements		make arrangements			To make arrangements means to organise or arrange. (light)
attempt		make an attempt			To make an attempt means to try, to attempt. (light)
B
baby		make a baby		have a baby	To make a baby is, informally, to engage in sexual intercourse, leading to impregnation. To have a baby is to give birth, to produce a child.
bath		make a bath	take a bath	have a bath	To take or have a bath is to bathe oneself. (light) To make a bath is to prepare a bath to the right temperature.
bed		make the bed, make one's bed			To make the or one's bed is to arrange its sheets and covers nicely and rectify any disorder that was caused by sleeping in it.
best	do one's best, best	make the best of		have the best	If you do your best, it means you have acted correctly and that no-one can expect more from you. To make the best of a situation means to take as much advantage as possible from a bad situation. See take advantage. To have the best is to be in possession of the best of something.
bid		make a bid	take bids		To make a bid means to bid, to make a monetary or economic offer. (light) To take bids is to solicit offers from several competitors, with the intention of accepting the best bid.
bite			take a bite	have a bite	To take a bite means to bite. (light) To take a bite and To have a bite both mean to eat a quick, light snack.
bow		make a bow	take a bow		To make a bow means to bow. (light) To take a bow means to bow (light) or to accept applause. See take a bow.
break		make a break	take a break	have a break	To make a break means to try to escape, to break. (light) To take and have a break means to rest from work for a short while, to break. (light) To have a break (more often get a break) also means to be lucky.
breakthrough		make a breakthrough		have a breakthrough	To make a breakthrough means to make an important discovery. To have a breakthrough means to realize something about oneself.
business	do business	make business	take business	have business	To do business means to agree a commercial contract. To have business with someone means to have matters to be settled with that person. To take business is to deprive a competitor of a customer by acquiring that customer. To make business is to create a business opportunity
C
cancellation		make a cancellation		have a cancellation	To make a cancellation means to contact the person you have an appointment with and to be the person who cancels it. To have a cancellation means that a person who had an appointment with you told you they would not attend the appointment. The phrase often implies that the appointment time will then be available to someone else so they can be seen sooner than they would have been otherwise.
care			take care, take care of	have a care	To take care means to be careful. To take care of someone or something means to look after it. See also take care. To have a care means to be careful because you are upsetting someone.
certain		make certain			To make certain of something means to check that something is correct. See also make sure.
chance			take a chance, take chances	have a chance	To take a chance means to try something risky. See take a chance. To have a chance means to have some possibility of success.
charge		make a charge	take charge		To make a charge for something means to request money for an item or service; it can also mean to make an accusation. To take charge of something is to assume authority over it.
claim		make a claim	take a claim	have a claim	To make a claim is usually applied to legal court cases where damages and retribution payments are claimed from the accused. To take a claim is to have someone submit a claim to you. To have a claim to or on something is to be entitled or potentially entitled to it.
class	do a class		take a class	have a class, have class	To do a class means to teach a single class as an instructor. To take a class means to attend a class as a student for a semester or year or the like; To have (a) class refers to either attending a single class session as a student or teaching it as an instructor. (Note that to have class can also mean "to be classy, sophisticated".)
complaint		make a complaint	take a complaint		To make a complaint means to complain about bad service or faulty goods (light). To take a complaint means to have someone submit a complaint to you.
concert	do a concert				To do a concert means to undertake a musical performance. The register is informal; to give a concert is a more typical collocation.
concession		make a concession			To make a concession means to concede, to yield to, or grant a request even though it is not in agreement with the normal rules. (light)
contact		make contact (with)		have contact (with)	To make contact with someone means to establish communication with them or contact them. (light) To have contact with someone simply means to communicate with them.
conversation		make conversation		have a conversation	To make conversation means to start a conversation with someone with no other aim than to talk and break the silence. To have a conversation means to converse. (light)
D
deal	do a deal	make a deal	take a deal	have a deal	To do (UK) or make (both US and UK) a deal means to make a contract with someone. To take a deal means to accept a contract or agreement that someone offers to you. To have a deal means to have explicitly agreed upon an obligation with someone, sometimes asked to formalize an agreement. ("Do we have a deal?")
decision		make a decision	take a decision		To make or take a decision is to decide. (light) Make is about 50 times more common in the US; 7 times in the UK.
demands		make demands on			To make demands on someone means to give them a lot of work to do or to impose a burden on them.
difference		make a difference	take the difference		To make a difference is to have a significant impact, or to matter. To take the difference (always with the) means to calculate the difference between two quantities.
discovery		make a discovery			To make a discovery is to discover something. (light)
dishes	do the dishes				To do the dishes is to wash dirty dishes, cutlery and so on by hand.
dump			take a dump		To take a dump is to defecate (vulgar slang).
E
effort		make an effort	take (a lot of) effort		To make or put forth an effort is to try. An activity takes a lot of effort when it is very difficult to do, or is strenuous.
enquiry		make an enquiry			To make an enquiry means to ask or inquire. (light)
error		make an error			To make or commit an error is to err. (light)
exam			take an exam	have an exam	When students take, complete, sit for (UK), or sit (UK) an exam, test, or quiz, they are tested to demonstrate knowledge or competency; educators (UK) set or (US) write it (create it for students to take) and then (US) give it (have the students complete it). To have an exam is to be given it.
example		make an example of			To make an example of someone is to punish someone to disuade others from repeating the offense. See make an example of.
exception		make an exception (for)	take exception, take exception to		To make an exception is to grant a request even though it is not in agreement with the normal rules. To make an exception for is to except. (light) See also make a concession. To take exception to something means to be offended by something, usually something that is said. See also take exception.
excuse		make an excuse, make excuses		have an excuse	To make an excuse means to excuse, to justify or explain the reason for an incorrect action. (light) To have an excuse means to have a good reason for an incorrect action, whether it is stated or not.
exercise	do some exercise, do some exercises		take exercise		To take (some) exercise means to exercise the body. (light) Do needs a quantifier. To do some or an exercise means to exercise the body. To do an exercise can also mean to resolve a problem set in a class.
experiment	do an experiment	make an experiment			Generally, one does an experiment in a laboratory, and one makes an experiment when one tries out an idea to see if it works. (light)
F
favour	do a (UK) favour, (US) favor				To do a favour means to help someone with no thought of reward or payment.
fortune		make a fortune			To make a fortune means to amass wealth.
friend		make a friend; make friends with			To make friends is to strike up or start a new friendship or become friends.
fun		make fun of		have fun	To make fun of something or someone is to mock or belittle them. To have fun is to enjoy oneself.
G
good	do (some) good	make good			To do good or do some good means to do something constructive or helpful. To make good has a number of meanings, including to put right.
grudge				have a grudge	To have a grudge (also to hold a grudge or bear a grudge) is to maintain a negative feeling against someone or something because of a previous wrong against oneself by that someone or something.
H
harm	do (some) harm				To do harm or some harm means to harm, to do something destructive, or hurtful, or unhelpful. (light)
headway		make headway			To make headway means to progress in the desired direction.
heart		make a heart	take heart	have a heart, have heart	To make a heart is to create the shape of a heart. To take heart is to be cheered up. To have a heart is to be generous. To have heart is to be courageous or persistent.
hostage			take someone hostage		To take (a person or group) hostage is to detain that person or people until a specific demand is met. The demand is often addressed to someone other than the people who are held hostage.
I
inquiry		make an inquiry			To make an inquiry means to ask, to inquire. (light)
investment		make an investment			To make an investment means to invest time or money. (light)
L
laugh		make someone laugh		have a (good) laugh	To have a laugh is to laugh (light), or to enjoy laughing with friends. To make someone laugh is to do or say something that causes that person to laugh.
lead			take the lead	have a/the lead	To take the lead /li:d/ means to be the leader, or to demonstrate the correct way to do something. Also to gain the lead position in a competition. (light) To have a lead means to have the lead position. (light)
list		make a list			To make a list means to write a list.
look			take a look	have a look	To take or have a look at something means to look at it (with purpose). (light)
loss		make a loss	take a loss		To make or take a loss means to lose money on an investment or a bet.
lunch	do lunch	make lunch	take lunch	have lunch	To do lunch is to have a lunchtime meeting with someone, typically at a restaurant. To make lunch is to prepare food for lunch. To take (one's) lunch can mean to take a scheduled lunch break from work. To take lunch more often means literally to bring a packed lunch. To have lunch is to eat lunch.
M
meal		make a meal, make a meal of	take a meal	have a meal	To make a meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc) means to prepare the food for that meal. To make a meal of means to spend more time and energy on some task than it warrants. To take a meal and to have a meal mean to eat the food. (Note: do lunch with someone or have a working lunch means to eat lunch with someone while working at the same time.)
mention		make (a) mention of			To make (a) mention of something is to mention it, to say it or talk about it briefly. (light)
messages	do the messages		take a message	have a message, have a message for someone	To do the messages is an expression used in Scotland, Ireland and Northern England meaning to do the shopping, to buy groceries. To take a message is to write down or record a message given (e.g. by a telephone caller) for someone who is absent. To have a message for someone is to wish to convey a message to someone (or to be in possession of a message one is to give to someone on another person's behalf). To have a message means that a message taken in one's absence is awaiting one.
mistake		make a mistake			To make a mistake is to err.
mockery		make a mockery of			To make a mockery of something or someone is to mock or belittle them. (light)
model		make a model (of)			To make a model means to fabricate or build a model structure. To make a model of {something} means to model it, to build a model of it. (light)
money		make money			To make money means to gain monetary income.
N
nap			take a nap	have a nap	To take or have a nap means to nap, sleep for a short while. (light)
noise		make a noise			To make a noise is the act of creating a sound that can be heard.
note		make note (of)	take note (of)		To make note or take note is to note or notice (something).
notes		make notes	take notes		To make or take notes is to write the notes, usually to record on paper what someone is saying.
number	do a number, do a number on someone		take a number		To do a number is to perform an act, usually a song. To do a number on someone is to cheat or trick them. To take a number is, literally, to physically take a ticket containing a number that determines your position in a queue.
O
operation	do an operation on someone	make an operation		have an operation	To do an operation means to operate medically on someone. To make an operation means to conclude a business transaction. To have an operation means for someone to medically operate on you.
opportunity		make an opportunity	take an opportunity	have an opportunity	To take an opportunity means to the same as take advantage of a situation. To make an opportunity means to arrange things to your advantage. To have an opportunity means to be at the right place at the right time to do something advantageous.
P
party				have a party	To have a party is to organise an informal event with friends, or to enjoy oneself.
phone call		make a (tele)phone call	take a (tele)phone call		To make a telephone call is to initiate a call to another person, In technical usage, initiating a call is referred to as placing a call. To take a telephone call is to answer a call, to pick up the phone in response to a call.
picture			take a picture (also photograph, video, etc.)		To take a picture means to capture an image using a photographic camera.
plan		make a plan		have a plan	To make a plan is to develop an idea. To have a plan is possess, generally in one's mind, an idea that is ready.
point		make a point, make a point of doing something	take someone's point	have a point	To make a point means to state a logical argument. To make a point of doing something means to be sure not to forget to do it, to do it consciously to ensure one does not forget. To take someone's point means to accept or at least acknowledge someone's argument. To have a point means to have a valid argument.
progress		make progress			To make progress is to advance.
promise		make a promise to someone	take someone's promise	have promise	To make a promise to someone is to affirm, or vow, to do something without fail. To take someone's promise means to accept at their word that they will keep their promise and act accordingly. To have promise is to be promising.
R
research	do research				To do research is to try to discover something new by doing experiments, or to discover information by checking through factual resources such as books or scientific journals.
rest			take a rest	have a rest	To take or have a rest is to rest, or to stop doing something.
ride			take a ride	have a ride	To take or have a ride on some form of transport is to use it to get somewhere. To take a ride (without a following prepositional phrase) also means to take a turn riding something unspecified. To have a ride (without a following prepositional phrase) usually means to have arranged for transport for oneself. Note also that many forms of transport collocate with take, meaning to use it or ride it somewhere, as in "take the train," "take a taxi," etc.
S
sense		make sense (of)		have sense	To make sense means to communicate clearly and understandably, or of something inanimate (e.g. a situation or idea), to be rational or understandable. To make sense of something means to understand it. To have sense means to be sensible.
shopping	do the shopping				To do the shopping means to go to the local shops to buy household needs such as food, clothes, cleaning things, and so on.
stock			take stock	have (in) stock	To take stock is literally to assess inventory of a store or business, and more generally to assess one's situation before moving forward with a task. If a business has (a) stock of something or has the item in stock, there is a supply of it in their inventory.
stop		make a stop			To make a stop means to take a break in the middle of a journey.
store				have store of	To have store of means to store something or to have something in storage.
shower			take a shower	have a shower	To take or have a shower means to wash one's body under a shower to get clean.
suggestion		make a suggestion	take someone's suggestion	have a suggestion	To make a suggestion means to present an idea to another person or group for their consideration. To take someone's suggestion means to accept the idea they have presented. To have a suggestion means to have an idea to present. In the past tense it can mean the same as made a suggestion.
T
talk	do a talk			have a talk	To do a talk means to give an oral presentation or lecture. To have a talk with someone means to speak with them seriously.
tea		make tea	take tea	have tea	To make tea (or coffee, etc) is to prepare the drink. To take tea and To have tea both mean to drink some tea (or coffee, etc), with taking tea suggesting a more formal event. To have tea with someone implies that it is a social meeting or break, accompanied by conversation. In the UK, to have (one's) tea can also mean to have the evening meal.
test	do a test		take a test	have a test	To do a test is the same as to do an experiment. For take and have, see the notes for exam.
time	do time	make time	take time, take one's time	have (the) time, have (a) time	To do time means to be a prisoner in prison. To make time for an activity means to arrange one's agenda so that there is enough time to do that activity. If something takes time it means it is not quick to do. To take one's time means to be slow and careful in doing something. If one has (the) time for something, it means there is an available period in one's schedule for it. To have the time can also mean to know or be able to quickly find out what time it is. To have a (good, bad, hard, etc.) time is to enjoy, resent, struggle with, etc. an activity, and by extension the time spent on it.
trouble		make trouble	take trouble, take the trouble to	have trouble	To make trouble means to cause or provoke problems for other people, especially conflict or fighting. To take trouble means to be meticulous or careful in how one does an activity. To take the trouble to do something is to do something, especially generously for another person, that one did not necessarily have to do. To have trouble means to suffer from errors or problems, especially in having trouble with a task or stiuation.
W
walk			take a walk		To take a walk (also go for a walk) is to walk or stroll around.
war		make war			To make war means to start a war against someone or something.
washing-up	do the washing-up				To do the washing-up means to wash the dirty plates, dishes, cutlery, and so on after a meal.
well	do well				If you do well, it means you have acted correctly and the best you can, or that you are prospering. See also do one's best.
wish		make a wish			If you make a wish, it means you express, often silently, a desire for some particular outcome.
words				have words / a word	To have a word or words with someone is to tell them off or to argue with them. To have a word with someone could be a gentle rebuke or request without hostility, but to have words means there is hostility and quarrelling. You can request Can I have a word with you? but not Can I have words with you?
work	do (some) work	make work		have work	If you do some work, you are working. You make work (for someone else, or for yourself) when the task is needless or your efforts are counterproductive. To have work is to be employed, or (also to have work to do) to have tasks that require completion.
compounds of work	do homework, housework etc.				Most derivations of work collocate with do in the sense of completing them.

General differences among English light verbs

make

In light-verb constructions "make" implies an active role by the subject, who causes something new to occur or come into existence from pre-existing material or a pre-existing situation or the normal course of events.

take

"Take" implies an active role by the subject, but no change in the object except for its ownership.

do

"Do" implies that the subject is active, but fitting into a pre-existing role. In addition do is often used when someone performs an action, activity or task.

have

"Have" implies a greater degree of passivity and no causation.

get

When used with a participle, it implies a change from a state without the action of the verb to a state with it. For the present participle that means starting to do the (intransitive, continuous) action of the verb. For the past participle that means receiving the action of the verb.

When used with an infinitive, it means that one is allowed to perform the action of the verb, or to assume the state of a stative verb.

When have is followed by got and an infinitive, it means that one must perform the action of the verb, or to assume the state of a stative verb. In other words, it's exactly equivalent to have and the infinitive. In informal, proscribed usage, the word have is left out in the present tense. In such cases, the only way to tell this from the past tense of the get-and-infinitive construction above is through the context.

give

"Give" implies a degree of activity by the subject, but also the involvement of a recipient.