Grammar: Make or Do?
Pottery and ceramics
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
Make or Do?
Master the difference between make and do while crafting pots, shaping clay, and working in the studio!
💡 How to use this lesson
For Teachers
1. Guide students through the 4 rule cards below in 4 minutes, highlighting key examples.
2. Allow 6 minutes for the 12 practice exercises and spend 2 minutes checking answers together.
For Learners
1. Read all 4 rule cards carefully first to learn when to choose make or do.
2. Complete the 12 interactive practice questions step by step to test your skills.
📜 The 4 Rules of Make & Do
Rule 1: Make is for creating new physical things, meals, or plans.
Use make when you create or produce something new that did not exist before (like a cup, a cake, or a plan). Never say do a cup.
📍 Ben makes a toy from wood.
📍 The potter makes a shiny saucer.
Rule 2: Do is for activities, tasks, jobs, or courses.
Use do for an activity, job or task that does not create a new object (like homework, dishes, or a course). Never say make the dishes.
📍 I do my homework after dinner.
📍 The potter does the dishes after work.
Rule 3: Learn fixed phrases by heart.
Some expressions are fixed word pairs: say make a mistake, make a noise, make friends; but say do your best, do a favour, do exercise.
📍 She made a mistake with the glaze.
📍 Please do me a favour.
Rule 4: Past forms (made / did), and the verb after did not or Did.
The past simple of make is made and do is did. After did not or in questions starting with Did, always go back to the short verb (make or do).
📍 She made a plan for the kiln.
📍 They did not make a noise while the clay was firm.
📍 Did she do her homework?
✅ DO SAY (Correct)
- ✔ make a bowl / make a saucer / make a plan
- ✔ do homework / do the dishes / do a course
- ✔ make a mistake / do your best
- ✔ She did not make a noise
⚠️ AVOID (Incorrect)
- ❌ do a bowl / do a plan
- ❌ make the dishes / make homework
- ❌ do a mistake
- ❌ She did not made a noise
Pottery Studio Practice Workspace
✍️ Interactive Practice Exercises
Complete the 12 questions below using your knowledge of pottery and grammar!
1. Choose the sentence that is written correctly:
2. Choose the sentence that is written correctly:
3. Choose the sentence that is written correctly:
4. Rewrite this present simple sentence in the past simple:
"The potter makes a shiny bowl."
5. Rewrite this present simple sentence in the past simple:
"She does her best to soften the lump of clay."
6. Rewrite this present simple sentence in the past simple:
"They make friends at the pottery class."
7. Fill in the gap with the correct verb form (make, made, do, or did):
8. Fill in the gap with the correct verb form (make, made, do, or did):
9. Fill in the gap with the correct verb form (make, made, do, or did):
10. Correct the grammar mistake in this studio chat message. Rewrite the complete sentence:
"I made the dishes after dinner."
11. Correct the grammar mistake in this studio chat message. Rewrite the complete sentence:
"She made her homework before visiting the kiln."
12. Correct the grammar mistake in this studio chat message. Rewrite the complete sentence:
"I did a cake for my friend yesterday."
🎉 Lesson Completed!
Great job practicing make vs. do with pottery vocabulary! Review your answers above to lock in your progress.
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