Mastering Collocations with “Do”: A Comprehensive Guide

Understanding collocations is crucial for achieving fluency and naturalness in English. Collocations are words that frequently appear together, and using them correctly can significantly improve your communication skills.

This article focuses on collocations with the verb “do,” a versatile word that combines with numerous nouns to convey specific meanings. Whether you’re an ESL student, a language teacher, or simply someone looking to enhance their English vocabulary, this guide will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of “do” collocations, complete with examples, exercises, and usage tips.

This guide will explore various types of collocations with “do,” providing clear explanations and practical examples. By the end of this article, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and tools to use “do” collocations accurately and confidently in your everyday conversations and writing.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Definition of Collocations with “Do”
3. Structural Breakdown
4. Types and Categories of “Do” Collocations
   • Housework and Chores
   • Work and Study
   • Personal Care
   • General Activities
   • Positive and Negative Actions
5. Examples of “Do” Collocations
   • Housework and Chores Examples
   • Work and Study Examples
   • Personal Care Examples
   • General Activities Examples
   • Positive and Negative Actions Examples
6. Usage Rules for “Do” Collocations
7. Common Mistakes with “Do” Collocations
8. Practice Exercises
9. Advanced Topics
10. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
11. Conclusion

Definition of Collocations with “Do”

A collocation is a combination of words that are frequently used together in a language. They sound “right” to native speakers, and using non-collocational words can sound awkward or unnatural, even if grammatically correct.

Collocations with “do” specifically involve the verb “do” followed by a noun. These combinations create a wide range of meanings, from performing actions to completing tasks.

Collocations are not always predictable based on the individual meanings of the words. For instance, we “do the dishes” rather than “make the dishes,” even though “make” might seem logically plausible.

The frequency and conventional usage determine the collocation.

Understanding and using collocations correctly is essential for fluent and natural English communication. It helps you avoid sounding like a textbook and allows you to express yourself more accurately and effectively.

Structural Breakdown

The basic structure of “do” collocations is quite simple: Do + Noun (object). The verb “do” acts as a light verb, providing the action, while the noun specifies the type of action being performed. The verb “do” changes form depending on the tense, subject, and context (e.g., does, did, doing).

Here’s a breakdown of the structural elements:

• Subject: The person or thing performing the action (e.g., I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
• Verb “Do”: Conjugated according to the subject and tense (e.g., do, does, did, will do, have done).
• Noun (Object): The thing being acted upon or the activity being performed (e.g., homework, dishes, business).

For example:

• She does the laundry.
• They did a great job.
• We are doing research.

The structure can also include adverbs to modify the verb “do,” adding more detail to the action:

• He always does his best.
• She carefully does her makeup.

Types and Categories of “Do” Collocations

Collocations with “do” can be categorized based on the types of activities or actions they describe. Here are some common categories:

Housework and Chores

These collocations refer to tasks related to maintaining a household. They are essential for discussing daily routines and household responsibilities.

Work and Study

These collocations are used in professional and academic contexts. They involve tasks and activities related to work, education, and research.

Personal Care

These collocations describe activities related to maintaining personal hygiene, appearance, and well-being.

General Activities

This category includes a wide range of common activities that don’t fit neatly into the other categories. They are useful for describing everyday actions and experiences.

Positive and Negative Actions

These collocations describe actions that have either positive or negative consequences or effects. Understanding these is important for expressing opinions and evaluating situations.

Examples of “Do” Collocations

Here are detailed examples of “do” collocations, organized by category:

Housework and Chores Examples

The following table provides examples of collocations with “do” related to housework and chores. Each example shows the collocation in context.

Collocation	Example Sentence
Do the dishes	I do the dishes every evening after dinner.
Do the laundry	She does the laundry on Sundays.
Do the cleaning	We need to do the cleaning before the guests arrive.
Do the ironing	He hates to do the ironing, so he sends his shirts to the dry cleaner.
Do the vacuuming	I do the vacuuming twice a week to keep the house clean.
Do the dusting	She does the dusting every Saturday morning.
Do the gardening	They do the gardening together on weekends.
Do the yard work	He has to do the yard work this afternoon.
Do the grocery shopping	My mom usually does the grocery shopping on Tuesdays.
Do the cooking	Who is going to do the cooking tonight?
Do the floors	I need to do the floors this weekend; they’re very dirty.
Do the windows	Spring is the perfect time to do the windows.
Do the bathroom	She does the bathroom every other day.
Do the dusting	He always does the dusting after he vacuums.
Do the beds	The children have to do the beds before they go to school.
Do the errands	I have to do the errands after work today.
Do the washing up	After the meal, we all helped to do the washing up.
Do the dishes by hand	She prefers to do the dishes by hand rather than using the dishwasher.
Do the spring cleaning	It’s time to do the spring cleaning this weekend.
Do the fall cleanup	We need to do the fall cleanup before winter arrives.
Do the tidying up	Before leaving, please do the tidying up in the living room.
Do the organizing	She likes to do the organizing in her closet every season.
Do the decluttering	I plan to do the decluttering in my home office next week.
Do the laundry sorting	He always does the laundry sorting before washing clothes.
Do the meal planning	She does the meal planning for the entire week on Sundays.
Do the defrosting	Don’t forget to do the defrosting of the meat before cooking.
Do the mopping	He does the mopping after sweeping the floor.
Do the scrubbing	She does the scrubbing of the tiles in the bathroom.

Work and Study Examples

This table provides examples of collocations with “do” related to work and study. These are useful in academic and professional settings.

Collocation	Example Sentence
Do homework	I need to do my homework before I can watch TV.
Do research	The scientists do research on new vaccines.
Do a job	He did a good job on the presentation.
Do business	They do business with companies all over the world.
Do a course	She wants to do a course in graphic design.
Do an exam	I have to do an exam next week.
Do a project	The students are doing a project on climate change.
Do an assignment	He forgot to do his assignment, so he got a bad grade.
Do a presentation	She has to do a presentation at the conference.
Do paperwork	He spends most of his day doing paperwork.
Do calculations	The engineer needs to do calculations for the bridge design.
Do analysis	The analyst will do analysis of the market trends.
Do data entry	She has to do data entry for the new system.
Do a survey	The company will do a survey to gather customer feedback.
Do a report	The team needs to do a report on the project’s progress.
Do training	New employees have to do training on safety procedures.
Do an internship	She wants to do an internship at a tech company.
Do a thesis	He is doing a thesis on artificial intelligence.
Do a dissertation	She is doing a dissertation on environmental law.
Do a case study	The students will do a case study on a successful business.
Do a presentation	She has to do a presentation at the conference.
Do fieldwork	The researchers will do fieldwork in the Amazon rainforest.
Do experiments	The scientists do experiments in the lab.
Do interviews	The journalist will do interviews with key figures.
Do observations	The team will do observations of the wildlife.
Do a literature review	He needs to do a literature review for his research paper.
Do citations	She has to do citations for all the sources in her paper.
Do peer review	The professors will do peer review of the research articles.
Do a seminar	He will do a seminar on the latest research findings.
Do a workshop	She will do a workshop on professional development.

Personal Care Examples

This table provides examples of collocations with “do” related to personal care. These collocations are useful for discussing daily routines and self-care practices.

Collocation	Example Sentence
Do your hair	She likes to do her hair before going out.
Do your makeup	She takes an hour to do her makeup every morning.
Do your nails	I’m going to do my nails tonight.
Do exercise	You should do exercise regularly to stay healthy.
Do yoga	She does yoga every morning to relax.
Do meditation	He does meditation to calm his mind.
Do stretches	It’s important to do stretches before running.
Do a facial	She likes to do a facial once a month.
Do a manicure	I’m going to do a manicure this weekend.
Do a pedicure	She decided to do a pedicure before her vacation.
Do skincare	She does skincare routine every night to maintain healthy skin.
Do a face mask	She likes to do a face mask on Sunday evenings.
Do a hair mask	She does a hair mask once a week to keep her hair shiny.
Do a body scrub	She decided to do a body scrub at the spa.
Do a massage	He likes to do a massage to relieve muscle tension.
Do deep breathing	She does deep breathing exercises to reduce stress.
Do affirmations	He does affirmations every morning to boost his confidence.
Do self-care	It’s important to do self-care to maintain mental well-being.
Do a detox	She decided to do a detox to cleanse her body.
Do a cleanse	He does a cleanse to improve his digestion.
Do a workout	She does a workout at the gym every day.
Do cardio	He does cardio to improve his heart health.
Do strength training	She does strength training to build muscle.
Do a warm-up	Always do a warm-up before exercising.
Do a cool-down	Remember to do a cool-down after exercising.
Do stretching exercises	She does stretching exercises to improve flexibility.
Do core exercises	He does core exercises to strengthen his abs.
Do a skincare routine	She does a skincare routine every morning and night.
Do a hair treatment	She likes to do a hair treatment to nourish her hair.
Do a hair styling	She does a hair styling for special occasions.

General Activities Examples

This table provides examples of collocations with “do” related to general activities. These are useful for describing everyday actions and experiences.

Collocation	Example Sentence
Do your best	Just do your best, and don’t worry about the outcome.
Do a favor	Can you do me a favor and pick up my mail?
Do damage	The storm did a lot of damage to the coastal areas.
Do good	He wants to do good in the world.
Do harm	Smoking can do harm to your health.
Do a service	The volunteer organization does a great service to the community.
Do a deed	He did a kind deed by helping the elderly woman cross the street.
Do an impression	He can do an impression of several famous actors.
Do a drawing	She likes to do a drawing in her free time.
Do a painting	He wants to do a painting of the landscape.
Do a puzzle	The children like to do a puzzle on rainy days.
Do a crossword	She does a crossword every morning to keep her mind sharp.
Do sudoku	He does sudoku to relax after work.
Do a quiz	They will do a quiz to test their knowledge.
Do a test	The students have to do a test on Friday.
Do a workout	She does a workout at the gym every day.
Do a search	He needs to do a search online for the information.
Do a calculation	The accountant has to do a calculation for the taxes.
Do a simulation	The engineers will do a simulation to test the design.
Do a rehearsal	The actors need to do a rehearsal before the performance.
Do a practice run	The athletes will do a practice run before the race.
Do a trial	The company will do a trial of the new software.
Do a review	She needs to do a review of the book.
Do a critique	He will do a critique of the movie.
Do a speech	She has to do a speech at the graduation ceremony.
Do a presentation	He will do a presentation on the project’s findings.
Do a demonstration	The salesperson will do a demonstration of the product.
Do a performance	The band will do a performance at the concert.
Do a show	The theater will do a show every night.
Do a magic trick	The magician will do a magic trick for the audience.

Positive and Negative Actions Examples

This table provides examples of collocations with “do” related to actions that can have positive or negative outcomes. These are important for expressing opinions and evaluating situations.

Collocation	Example Sentence
Do good	Volunteering can do good for the community.
Do harm	Pollution can do harm to the environment.
Do well	He did well in his exams because he studied hard.
Do badly	She did badly on the test because she didn’t prepare.
Do right	It’s important to do right by others.
Do wrong	He knew he did wrong when he lied.
Do a favor	She did him a favor by helping him move.
Do a disservice	By not telling the truth, you do a disservice to yourself.
Do justice	The film did justice to the book.
Do an injustice	The court did an injustice by convicting the innocent man.
Do a service	The charity did a service to the needy people.
Do a disservice	By spreading rumors, you do a disservice to their reputation.
Do a good deed	He did a good deed by donating to the charity.
Do a bad deed	She did a bad deed by stealing from the store.
Do a kindness	He did a kindness by helping the stranded motorist.
Do a wrong	The company did a wrong by polluting the river.
Do a good job	The team did a good job on the project.
Do a poor job	He did a poor job on the presentation.
Do a great job	She did a great job organizing the event.
Do a terrible job	They did a terrible job cleaning the house.
Do a wonderful job	The chef did a wonderful job with the meal.
Do a miserable job	He did a miserable job painting the fence.
Do a fantastic job	The performers did a fantastic job on stage.
Do a lousy job	They did a lousy job repairing the car.
Do a superb job	The architect did a superb job designing the building.
Do a sloppy job	He did a sloppy job writing the report.
Do a remarkable job	The scientists did a remarkable job with the research.
Do a shoddy job	The contractor did a shoddy job on the renovation.
Do a decent job	She did a decent job managing the project.
Do a passable job	He did a passable job filling in for the absent employee.

Usage Rules for “Do” Collocations

Using “do” collocations correctly involves understanding the context and the specific noun it combines with. Here are some general rules:

• Use “do” for actions, tasks, and activities: “Do” is generally used for actions that don’t produce a physical object. For example, you “do homework,” not “make homework.”
• Consider the specific meaning: The meaning of the collocation depends on the noun. “Do business” means engage in commercial activities, while “do exercise” means to perform physical activities.
• Pay attention to tense and subject-verb agreement: The verb “do” must agree with the subject in number and tense.
  • I do, he does, we did, they will do
• Avoid substituting “do” with “make” or other verbs inappropriately: While some substitutions might seem logical, they are often incorrect. For example, “do the dishes” is correct, not “make the dishes.”

Here’s a table summarizing the key usage rules:

Rule	Example	Explanation
Use “do” for actions, tasks, and activities	Do the laundry, do homework	“Do” is used for actions that don’t result in a physical object.
Consider the specific meaning	Do business, do exercise	The meaning depends on the noun it combines with.
Subject-verb agreement	I do, he does, we did	The verb “do” must agree with the subject in number and tense.
Avoid inappropriate substitutions	Do the dishes (correct), Make the dishes (incorrect)	Using “make” instead of “do” can sound unnatural.

Common Mistakes with “Do” Collocations

One of the most common mistakes is using “make” instead of “do,” or vice versa. Here are some examples of common errors and their corrections:

Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
Make homework	Do homework	“Homework” is an activity, so “do” is the correct verb.
Make the dishes	Do the dishes	“Do the dishes” is the standard collocation.
Do a cake	Make a cake	“Cake” is a physical object that is created, so “make” is correct.
Make exercise	Do exercise	“Exercise” is an activity, so “do” is the correct verb.
Do a decision	Make a decision	“Decision” is something that is created or reached, so “make” is correct.
Make a research	Do research	“Research” is an activity, so “do” is the correct verb.

Another common mistake is using the wrong tense or form of “do.” For example:

Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
He do his homework	He does his homework	The verb “do” must agree with the subject “he.”
I did doing the dishes	I finished doing the dishes	Correct tense and structure are necessary.

Practice Exercises

Test your understanding of “do” collocations with these exercises. Choose the correct collocation to complete each sentence.

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of “do” and the appropriate noun from the list: (homework, dishes, research, best, damage, favor)

Question	Answer
1. Can you ___________ and help me move this box?	1. do me a favor
2. The storm ___________ to the trees in the park.	2. did a lot of damage
3. I always try to ___________ in everything I do.	3. do my best
4. She has to ___________ before she can go out.	4. do her homework
5. I hate to ___________ after dinner.	5. do the dishes
6. The scientists are ___________ on new energy sources.	6. doing research
7. They always ___________ they can to help others.	7. do what
8. He needs to ___________ on the effects of climate change.	8. do research
9. She tried to ___________ to help her neighbor.	9. do a favor
10. The accident ___________ to his car.	10. did some damage

Exercise 2: Choose the correct collocation in each sentence.

Question	Answer
1. I need to (do / make) a decision about my career.	1. make
2. She (does / makes) yoga every morning.	2. does
3. They (did / made) a great job painting the house.	3. did
4. Can you (do / make) me a favor and close the window?	4. do
5. He (does / makes) business with companies in Asia.	5. does
6. The children (did / made) a mess in the living room.	6. made
7. She (does / makes) her hair before going to work.	7. does
8. We (did / made) a plan to travel to Europe.	8. made
9. They (do/make) a presentation at the conference	9. do
10. I (do/make) a mistake on the test	10. made

Exercise 3: Rewrite the following sentences using the correct “do” collocation.

Question	Answer
1. I need to create my homework tonight.	1. I need to do my homework tonight.
2. She is creating research on climate change.	2. She is doing research on climate change.
3. He created a good job on the project.	3. He did a good job on the project.
4. Can you create me a favor and help me with this?	4. Can you do me a favor and help me with this?
5. They created damage to the car in the accident.	5. They did damage to the car in the accident.
6. She is creating exercise every morning.	6. She is doing exercise every morning.
7. He created a decision to quit his job.	7. He made a decision to quit his job.
8. They created a plan for the weekend.	8. They made a plan for the weekend.
9. I created a mistake on the test.	9. I made a mistake on the test.
10. She created a presentation at the conference.	10. She did a presentation at the conference.

Advanced Topics

For advanced learners, exploring more nuanced uses of “do” collocations can further refine language skills. This involves understanding idiomatic expressions and less common, context-specific usages.

• Idiomatic Expressions: “Do” features in many idiomatic expressions that carry meanings beyond the literal definitions of the words. Examples include:
  • Do time: Serve a prison sentence. He had to do time for his crimes.
  • Do justice to: Represent something accurately or fairly. The movie didn’t do justice to the book.
  • Do away with: Get rid of or abolish. They decided to do away with the old rules.
• Context-Specific Usages: Some “do” collocations are specific to certain fields or contexts. For example:
  • Do a deal (business): Conclude an agreement. The companies are trying to do a deal.
  • Do a study (research): Conduct a scientific investigation. The university is doing a study on the effects of pollution.
• Regional Variations: While most “do” collocations are universal, some may have regional preferences. Being aware of these variations can help you adapt your language to different English-speaking regions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion

Mastering collocations with “do” is an essential step toward achieving fluency and accuracy in English. By understanding the structure, types, and usage rules of these collocations, you can enhance your communication skills and express yourself more naturally.

Remember to practice regularly, pay attention to context, and avoid common mistakes. With consistent effort, you’ll be well on your way to using “do” collocations with confidence and precision.