Collocations with do,make,take and have with their meanings (Posted by Miguel Medina)

do	make	take	have	notes
		take action		To take action means to act positively and decisively to resolve a problem. (light)
		take advantage	have an advantage	To take advantage of something or someone means to profit from the momentary situation of the person or thing. To have an advantage means to be in a better position than someone else.
	make amends			To make amends means to compensate for a loss or injury.
	make an application	take an application		To make an application means to apply for something. Usually a job, or a bank account, etc. (light) To take an application means to obtain an application form by removing it from a collection of forms.
	make an appointment		have an appointment	To make an appointment means to organise a meeting with other people. To have an appointment means you are to participate in a meeting with other people.
	make an argument		have an argument	To have an argument with someone means to argue with that person. (light) To make an argument for something means to present a logical argument in its favor.
	make arrangements			To make arrangements means to organise or arrange. (light)
	make an attempt			To make an attempt means to try, to attemplt. (light)
	make a baby		have a baby	To make a baby is, informally, to engage in sexual intercourse, leading to impregnation. To have a baby is to give birth, to produce a child.
	make a bath	take a bath	have a bath	To take or have a bath is to bathe. (light) To make a bath is to prepare a bath to the right temperature.
	make the bed, make one's bed		have a bed	To make the or one's bed is to arrange its sheets and covers nicely and rectify any disorder that was caused by sleeping in it. To have a bed is to be in possession of a bed.
do one's best	make the best of		have the best	If you do your best, it means you have acted correctly and that no-one can expect more from you. To make the best of a situation means to take as much advantage as possible from a bad situation. See take advantage. To have the best is to be in possession of the best of something.
	make a bid	take bids		To make a bid means to bid, to make a monetary or economic offer. Template:light To take bids is to solicit offers from several competitors, with the intention of accepting the best bid.
		take a bite	have a bite	To take a bite means to bite. (light) To take a bite and to have a bite both mean to eat a quick, light snack.
	make a bow	take a bow		To make a bow means to bow. (light) To take a bow means to bow (light) or to accept applause. See take a bow.
	make a break	take a break	have a break	To make a break means to try to escape, to break. (light) To take and have a break means to rest from work for a short while, to break. (light) To have a break (more often get a break) also means to be lucky.
	make a breakthrough		have a breakthrough	To make a breakthrough means to make an important discovery. To have a breakthrough means to realize something about oneself.
do business		take business	have business	To do business means to agree a commercial contract. To have business with someone means to have matters to be settled with that person. To take business is to deprive a competitor of a customer by acquiring that customer.
	make a cancellation		have a cancellation	To make a cancellation means to cancel. To have a cancellation means to have a slot for attendance of an event become available because the holder of that slot has canceled.
		take care take care of	have a care	To take care means to to be careful. To take care of someone or something means to look after it. See also take care. To have a care means to be careful because you are upsetting someone.
	make certain			To make certain of something means to check that something is correct. See also make sure.
		take a chance	have a chance	To take a chance means to try something risky. See take a chance. To have a chance means to have some possibility of success.
	make a charge	take charge		To make a charge for something means to request money for an item or service; it can also mean to make an accusation. To take charge of something is to assume authority over it.
	make a claim			To make a claim is usually applied to legal court cases where damages and retribution payments are claimed from the accused.
		take a class	have a class, have class	One takes a class for a semester or year or the like; to have (a) class refers to a single class session. (Note that to have class can also mean "to be classy, sophisticated".)
	make a complaint			To make a complaint means to complain about bad service or faulty goods. (light)
	make a concession			To make a concession means to concede, to yield to, or grant a request even though it is not in agreement with the normal rules. (light)
	make contact (with)			To make contact with someone means to establish communication with them or contact them. (light)
	make conversation		have a conversation	To make conversation means to start a conversation with someone with no other aim than to talk and break the silence. To have a conversation means to converse. (light)
do a deal	make a deal			To do(US) or make(UK) a deal means to make a contract with someone.
	make a decision	take a decision		To make or take a decision is to decide. (light) Make is about 50 times more common in the US; 7 times in the UK.
	make demands on			To make demands on someone means to give them a lot of work to do or to impose a burden on them.
	make a discovery			To make a discovery is to discover something. (light)
	make an effort	take (a lot of) effort		To make or put forth an effort is to try. An activity takes a lot of effort when it is very difficult to do, or is strenuous.
	make an enquiry			To make an enquiry means to ask or inquire. (light)
	make an error			To make or commit an error is to err. (light)
		take an exam	have an exam	When students take, complete, sit for (UK), or sit (UK) an exam, test, or quiz, they are tested to demonstrate knowledge or competency; educators (UK) set or (US) write it (create it for students to take) and then (US) give it (have the students complete it). To have an exam is to be given it.
	make an example of			To make an example of someone is to punish someone to disuade others from repeating the offense. See make an example of
	make an exception (for)	take exception		To make an exception is to grant a request even though it is not in agreement with the normal rules. To make an exception for is to except. (light) See also make a concession. To take exception to something means to be offended by something, usually something that is said. See also take exception.
	make an excuse, make excuses		have an excuse	To make an excuse means to excuse, to justify or explain the reason for an incorrect action. (light) To have an excuse means to have a good reason for an incorrect action, whether it is stated or not.
do some exercise, do some exercises		take exercise		To take (some) exercise means to exercise the body. (light) Do needs a quantifier. To do some or an exercise means to exercise the body. To do an exercise can also mean to resolve a problem set in a class.
do an experiment	make an experiment			To experiment Generally, one does an experiment in a laboratory, and one makes an experiment when one tries out an idea to see if it works. (light)
do a (UK) favour, (US) favor				To do a favour means to help someone with no thought of reward or payment.
	make a fortune			To make a fortune means to amass wealth.
	make a friend; make friends with			To make friends is to strike up or start a new friendship or become friends.
	make fun of		have fun	To make fun of something or someone is to mock or belittle them. To have fun is to enjoy oneself.
do (some) good				To do good or some good means to do something constructive or helpful.
			have a grudge	To have a grudge is to maintain a negative feeling against someone or something because of a previous wrong against oneself by that someone or something.
do (some) harm				To do harm or some harm means to harm, to do something destructive, or hurtful, or unhelpful. (light)
	make headway			To make headway means to progress in the desired direction.
	make a heart	take heart	have a heart, have heart	To make a heart is to create the shape of a heart. To take heart is to be cheered up. To have a heart is to be generous. To have heart is to be courageous or persistent.
		take someone hostage		Means to keep, or retain a person or group of people until a specific demand is met.
	make an inquiry			To make an inquiry means to ask, to inquire. (light)
	make an investment			To make an investment means to invest time or money. (light)