A2CEFRGrammar12 min

Grammar: Make or Do?

Pottery and ceramics

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🏷️ Pottery Studio Grammar ⏱️ 12 minutes

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

01

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.

02

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.

03

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.

04

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
A cozy craft pottery workshop with ceramic bowls, shiny glaze pots, a kiln in the background, and a potter shaping clay

Pottery Studio Practice Workspace

✍️ Interactive Practice Exercises

Complete the 12 questions below using your knowledge of pottery and grammar!

Part 1: Multiple Choice (bowl)

1. Choose the sentence that is written correctly:

____ a. The potter makes a big bowl for the shop. ____ b. The potter does a big bowl for the shop. ____ c. The potter makes the homework for the shop.
Part 1: Multiple Choice (course)

2. Choose the sentence that is written correctly:

____ a. The young potter makes a pottery course every summer. ____ b. The young potter does a pottery course every summer. ____ c. The young potter does a mistake during the course.
Part 1: Multiple Choice (bowl)

3. Choose the sentence that is written correctly:

____ a. He did a big mistake with the new bowl. ____ b. He did a plan for the new bowl. ____ c. He made a big mistake with the new bowl.
Part 2: Rewrite in Past Simple (yesterday)

4. Rewrite this present simple sentence in the past simple:

"The potter makes a shiny bowl."

Your Past Simple Sentence: ____
Part 2: Rewrite in Past Simple (week)

5. Rewrite this present simple sentence in the past simple:

"She does her best to soften the lump of clay."

Your Past Simple Sentence: ____
Part 2: Rewrite in Past Simple (ago)

6. Rewrite this present simple sentence in the past simple:

"They make friends at the pottery class."

Your Past Simple Sentence: ____
Part 3: Fill in the Blank (favour)

7. Fill in the gap with the correct verb form (make, made, do, or did):

"Can you ____ me a favour before the clay starts to harden?"
Part 3: Fill in the Blank (shopping)

8. Fill in the gap with the correct verb form (make, made, do, or did):

"We did not ____ the shopping on Sunday."
Part 3: Fill in the Blank (cake)

9. Fill in the gap with the correct verb form (make, made, do, or did):

"Do you want to ____ a cake for the party?"
Part 4: Message Error Correction (dishes)

10. Correct the grammar mistake in this studio chat message. Rewrite the complete sentence:

Potter Friend 💬

"I made the dishes after dinner."

Your Corrected Sentence: ____
Part 4: Message Error Correction (homework)

11. Correct the grammar mistake in this studio chat message. Rewrite the complete sentence:

Potter Friend 💬

"She made her homework before visiting the kiln."

Your Corrected Sentence: ____
Part 4: Message Error Correction (yesterday)

12. Correct the grammar mistake in this studio chat message. Rewrite the complete sentence:

Potter Friend 💬

"I did a cake for my friend yesterday."

Your Corrected Sentence: ____

🎉 Lesson Completed!

Great job practicing make vs. do with pottery vocabulary! Review your answers above to lock in your progress.

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