do, make, have, get, take: How to Tell These 5 High-Frequency Verbs Apart
At a certain stage of learning English, you'll find that 5 verbs pop up almost every day: do, make, have, get, take. They are short and easy to pronounce, but also the easiest to mix up—many people want to say "make a mistake" and blurt out do a mistake ✗, when they actually need to say make a mistake ✓.
Don't worry, this has nothing to do with memory. Each of these 5 words has its own "core feeling." Grab hold of that feeling, then memorize common collocations as a whole phrase, and you'll be able to use them quickly and accurately. This article will walk you through them one by one using everyday A1–A2 example sentences.
do: Doing Things, Executing Tasks
The core feeling of do is "executing an action or task," and it is often used for household chores, homework, and activities that are less concrete:
- do homework (doing homework), do the dishes (washing dishes), do the laundry (doing laundry)
- do exercise (exercising), do business (doing business)
Example sentences:
- I have to do my homework before dinner. (I have to do my homework before dinner.)
- Can you help me do the dishes tonight? (Can you help me wash the dishes tonight?)
- She does exercise every morning to stay healthy. (She exercises every morning to stay healthy.)
Quick tip: When an action "does not produce a visible final product," do is mostly used. After washing the dishes, they are still the same dishes, and doing homework doesn't "create" anything new—this is do's territory.
make: Manufacturing, Creating a Product or Result
The core feeling of make is "producing a new object, result, or decision"—after you finish, something exists in the world that wasn't there before.
- make a cake (making a cake), make coffee (making coffee), make a plan (making a plan)
- make a decision (making a decision), make a mistake (making a mistake), make friends (making friends)
Example sentences:
- My mom is making a cake for my birthday. (My mom is making a cake for my birthday.)
- It is hard to make a decision so quickly. (It is hard to make a decision so quickly.)
- Don't worry, everyone makes mistakes. (Don't worry, everyone makes mistakes.)
do vs make: The Most Classic Confusion, Resolved Like This
This is where beginners get stuck the most. You can judge with just one sentence:
Is a new thing or new result "created"? Yes → make; is it just "executing" a task → do.
- Making a cake leaves a cake (a product) on the table → make a cake ✓
- Washing dishes doesn't create anything new, it just finishes a task → do the dishes ✓
Therefore, "making a mistake" is "creating" the result of an error, so you use make a mistake ✓, not do a mistake ✗. Similarly, making friends is "establishing" a new relationship, so you use make friends ✓, not do friends ✗.
When you're not sure, go back and ask yourself this question: "After it is done, is there a new product or result?"
have: Owning, Eating/Drinking, Experiencing
In addition to "owning," have is more commonly used in spoken English to mean "eating/drinking" and "experiencing something":
- Owning: have a car (having a car), have a dog (having a dog)
- Eating/drinking: have lunch (having lunch), have a coffee (having a coffee)
- Experiencing / Activities: have a shower (taking a shower), have a rest (having a rest), have fun (having fun)
Example sentences:
- We usually have lunch at noon. (We usually have lunch at noon.)
- I want to have a shower before bed. (I want to take a shower before going to bed.)
- Have fun at the party tonight! (Have fun at the party tonight!)
Memory trick: When you see have paired with "meals" or "activities," it means "doing/experiencing" and has nothing to do with "ownership." have lunch means eating lunch, not "owning lunch."
get: Obtaining, Becoming, Arriving
get is the most flexible of these 5, and it has three common directions:
- Obtaining/getting: get a ticket (getting a ticket), get a job (getting a job), get an email (receiving an email)
- Becoming a certain state: get tired (getting tired), get better (getting better/improving), get hungry (getting hungry)
- Arriving somewhere: get home (getting home), get to school (getting to school)
Example sentences:
- I got two tickets for the movie. (I got two tickets for the movie.)
- She is getting better after her cold. (She is getting better after her cold.)
- What time do you get home? (What time do you get home?)
Quick reminder: get + adjective = become (get tired = getting tired); get + noun = obtain (get a ticket = getting a ticket). Just look at what follows it to know which meaning it is.
Here is another small pitfall to remember: When arriving somewhere, get home does not take to (home is an adverb here), but get to school and get to work do. If you see "the location is home / here / there," do not use to; for any other place, use to, and you won't go wrong.
take: Taking, Spending Time, Riding, Taking Photos
The core feeling of take is "picking up / carrying away," which extends into several high-frequency uses:
- Taking transportation: take a bus (taking a bus), take a taxi (taking a taxi)
- Spending time: take time (taking time), take five minutes (taking five minutes)
- Taking photos / resting: take a photo (taking a photo), take a break (taking a break)
Example sentences:
- I take the bus to work every day. (I take the bus to work every day.)
- It takes ten minutes to walk there. (It takes ten minutes to walk there.)
- Let's take a break and have some tea. (Let's take a break and have some tea.)
Why You Must "Memorize Them as a Whole Phrase"
You might ask: Since the meanings of do and make are so close, how can I possibly remember them? The answer is—memorize collocations as a whole phrase, don't memorize word by word.
Which verb goes with which noun in English is often decided by "habit." Native speakers don't reason out "which verb should be used for washing dishes"; they memorize do the dishes directly as a single block. Therefore, the most effective method is:
- Treat verb + noun as a single unit. For example, memorize make a decision directly, rather than separating make and decision.
- Pair each collocation with an example sentence of your own, giving it a mental image and context.
- When you encounter a collocation you're unsure of, look it up in a dictionary or listen to how native speakers say it, and just follow their lead.
How to Practice on Loopy
Loopy puts these collocations of do, make, have, get, and take into real sentences and listening contexts, allowing you to naturally encounter them over and over during listening, speaking, and shadowing practice—make a decision, take a break, and get home will slowly become second nature through each example sentence. Coupled with a memory curve that schedules reviews for you, collocations that need reviewing will pop up right before you're about to forget them, helping you remember them solidly and use them smoothly.
Start with each set of collocations in this article, pick the ones you use most often to practice first, look at the example sentences, and read along. The next time you want to say "make a mistake," "take a bus," or "take a break," it will just roll off your tongue. You can do it.