Grammar for advanced leaners Confusing verbs - Thấm Tâm Vy

Thẩm Tâm Vy, July 21, 2019 GRAMMAR NOTES FOR ADVANCED LEARNERS

GRAMMAR FOR ADVANCED LEANERS

Confusing verbs Some pairs of verbs in English are subtly different from each other and so can be a source of confusion for learners. This is because the pairs, e.g. make and do, lay and lie, have similar meanings but are used to describe different kinds of actions or situations. These are'false synonyms'. ln other cases there are verb pairs which cause problems because we use them to describe similar situations even though they have opposite meanings, e.g. borrow and lend. These are'opposite pairs'. ln this unit we look at the verb pairs which are most often confused.

FALSE SYNONYMS Several verbs appear to have similar meanings but are used differently. A. MAKE and DO Make often means 'create' or 'produce': - Aunt Alice is going to make the bridesmaids' dresses. - Couda cheese is made in Holland. Make often expresses the idea of building and constructing: - The muttinationals are making a lot of products in the developing world these days. We also use make to describe a process of change. The meaning is similar to 'become' or 'cause to be': - The spare bedroom has made a wonderful office for Deirdre. (= has become) - Those new drugs seem to make him very lethargic. (= cause him to be) Make + object + infinitive (without to) means 'force' or 'command': - The police officer made me empty my pockets. Make has a number of idiomatic meanings such as 'earn' and 'keep an appointment': - He makes $1000 a week on the oil rigs. - I can't make it on Friday; I'm in a meeting all day. We often use do to describe an activity or to mean 'carry out / complete a task': - What are we going to do for your birthday? (= take part in an activity) - You can go out after you've done your homework. (= you've completed) We can use do + determiner + -ing form to describe regular tasks at home or at work: - There isn't much in the fridge as I haven't done the shopping get. - We do the stocktaking every Wednesday morning. B. Expressions with make or do There are several multi-word verbs with make or do - Don't believe a word he said, he made it and all up. (= invented) - The government did away with the death penalty in the sixties. (= abolished)  Ttrere are a number of fixed expressions with either make or do: - It's time to do a decision. => It’s time to make a decision. - Who made your heir? => Who did your hair?

Here are some of the most common expressions wilh make and do. (Note that in the table below, sb = somebody and sfh = something.)

MAKE

an attempt an appearance an appointment (= arrange) qrrangements a bed a (phone) call a charge (for sth) a choice a comment a contribution a decision a difference a discovery an effort an enemy of sb an enquiry

an exception an excuse a fire a fortune friends (with sb) a fuss a gesture a good / bad job of sth a habit of sth a journey a list a liviny love a mess a mistake money

a noise an offer a plan a point a profit progress a promise a remark a sound a speech a start (on sth) a suggestion time (for sthlsb) trouble war a will

DO

your best (= try hard) business (with sb) the cleaning / cooking / ironing / washing (up) a course some damage the dishes your duty an exam / a test an / some exercise

an experiment sb a fovour good (= help other people) sb some good (= make sb better/healthier) your hair / face / nails harm the homework / housework yourself an iniurg a job

the laundry military service research the shopping sport your teeth (= brush /clean) well/ badly (= be successful / unsuccessful)

C. We can describe some actions with either have or take; in other cases we only use one of these verbs:

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