Make

Now it's time for make.

make an appointment
make a bed
make a cake
make a change
make a choice
make coffee
make a comment
make a decision
make breakfast / dinner / supper
make a difference
make an effort
make an exception
make an excuse
make a film
make a fool of yourself
make a fortune
make friends with
make headway
make a list
make a living
make love
make a mess
make a mistake
make money
make a noise
make a phone call
make plans
make profit
make progress
make a promise
make sense
make a speech
make a suggestion
make a phone call

Do

Throughout my teaching career I have noticed my students struggling with the verbs do and make. Therefore I have decided to make their life easier and I have compiled a list of expressions that should go with do and make. Let's begin with do.

do your best
do business
do the cooking
do a course
do a crossword
do damage
do an exam
do an exercise
do sb a favour
do good
do your hair
do harm
do homework
do housework
do the ironing
do your job
do the laundry
do your nails
do the paperwork
do the shopping
do the washing
do the washing-up

A heart-to-heart

A heart-to-heart is a serious conversation between two people in which they talk honestly about their feelings.

Example:
Why don't you have a heart-to-heart with him and sort out your problems?

Teach vs Learn

Many of my students often mix the two verbs up: to learn and to teach. To make thinks clear, have a look at the following explanation and examples.

learn – learnt / learned - learnt / learned - to gain knowledge of a subject or skill, by experience, by studying it, e.g.
What's the best way to learn a language?
I learnt to drive when I was 17.
Hector spent the winter learning how to cope with his blindness.

teach – taught – taught - to give lessons in a school, college, or university, or to help someone learn about something by giving them information, e.g.
Neil teaches at the Guildhall School of Music in London.
He taught geography at the local secondary school.
We were never taught anything about other religions.

TEST YOURSELF
1. The teacher's task is to help the pupil …........
2. I …...... a lot from my father.
3. Miss Himes …..... the youngest class, the four and five- year-olds.
4. Kids can have fun and …..... about music at the same time.
5. I'm …........ English to Italian students.
6. It took us several hours to …........ all the dance moves to the girls.
7. I prefer …...... the older children.
8. Youngsters must …....... what is dangerous and what is not to be feared.
9. The student will …....... from experience about the importance of planning.
10. I …....... 18- to 21-year olds.
11. Before you sail, you need to …....... about basic boat controls.
12. Grandpa …...... me a new card trick.

Overhear vs Eavesdrop

The two verbs to overhear and to eavesdrop are very similar in meaning, although there is one substantial difference between them. Have a look.

To overhear means to accidentally hear what other people are saying, when they do not know that you have heard, e.g.
I overheard part of their conversation.
She overheard the management discussing pay rises.
We overheard the teacher say there would be a pop quiz today.
I couldn't help overhearing your argument.

To eavesdrop refers to a situation in which you deliberately listen secretly to other people's conversations. When you eavesdrop, you do it on purpose, this is your aim and intention, e.g.
There was Helena eavesdropping outside the door.
Sue was able to eavesdrop on them through the open window.
How did you know I was going? You've been eavesdropping, haven't you!
Hackers can eavesdrop using software that monitors packets sent over the network.

Loan vs Mortgage

There are two confusing nouns in the English language: a loan and a mortgage. Let me explain the difference to you.

A loan is an amount of money that you borrow from a bank because you want to buy a car, a computer etc. Examples:
Jim took out a loan to pay for his car.
It'll be years before we've paid off the loan.
a business loan / personal loan

A mortgage is a legal arrangement by which you borrow money from a bank in order to buy a house or a flat. Examples:
They've taken out a 30-year mortgage.
Mortgage rates are set to rise again in the spring.
She was having trouble meeting her mortgage payments.

TEST YOURSELF – loan or mortgage?
1. A student …......
2. Do you have a …...... on your house?
3. Kenya was still paying off a multimillion-dollar …...... to the IMF.
4. Your building society or bank will help arrange a ….......
5. Nick told me the …...... on his apartment is worth about $90,000.
6. I'll get a bank …...... if necessary.
7. The bank says we have to buy a life insurance policy before we can get a ….......
8. The organization was allowed to make …...... to private businesses.
9. I had to take out a …...... to buy my car.
10. It took my parents nearly thirty years to pay off their ….......
11. We still have a $180,000 …...... on the house.
12. Anyone taking out a …...... should be aware that interest rates can go up at any time.

Allow vs Let

In the English language there are two verbs which mean exactly the same. They are to allow and to let. The only difference is in the usage.

While using the verb to allow, we need to use the following structure:
to allow sb to do sth
e.g. My parents wouldn't allow me to go to the party.

While using the verb to let, we need to use the following structure:
to let sb do sth
e.g. My parents wouldn't let me go to the party.

The only difference is the lack of to while using the verb to let. Here are some more examples:
Don't allow your problems to dominate your life. = Don't let your problems dominate your life.
We do not allow people to smoke anywhere in the building. = We do not let people smoke anywhere in the building.
Some people seem to allow their kids to do whatever they like. = Some people seem to let their kids do whatever they like.

TEST YOURSELF
Fill in with allow or let.
1. Alice’s mum won’t …..... her come with us.
2. …..... your imagination run wild.
3. Sue doesn't …..... her kids eat candy.
4. Unfortunately, they didn’t …..... me to explain the thinking behind my decision.
5. I stepped back and …..... him pass.
6. I can …..... you have another £10, but no more.
7. …..... me have a look at that letter.
8. She only …..... the children to watch television at weekends.
9. …..... Johnny have a go on the computer now.
10. DVD …..... you to record programmes and watch them later.