The verbs do, make, have, take, give, go function as normal verbs, but they are also something called delexical verbs. Delexical verbs accompany a noun, and rely on the noun for meaning.
Knowing about this topic helps students sort out confusion and avoid common errors. For example, Spanish speakers often associate age and emotions with the verb have, because we collocate them (put them together) this way in Spanish. But in English, age and emotion are collocated with the verb be.
Incorrect: How many years do you have?
Correct: How many years old are you? Or better, how old are you?
Incorrect: I have hungry.
Correct: I am hungry.
A Note about Be and Do
It is normal for beginner students to be a little confused about when to use be or do. This isn’t directly related to do in its delexical form, but how we and when we use it as an auxiliary verb to make questions and negatives. Sometimes, when I first start working with a higher level student, they are still making errors related to this topic. It’s important for students to master this as soon as possible. So I sometimes start off this lesson with a warm up be or do grammar and conversation activity to review.
Be or Do? – A beginner Present and Past Simple quiz and conversation activity
Make and Do
In its normal form, to make means to create something. Depending on what you are making, it can mean to built, construct, cook, bake, compose, or fabricate. To do means to perform an action. The difference can take a time to get used to for Spanish speakers, since in Spanish, we use hacer without making a distinction. Then, once students get it, they are still faced with challenges, as many of the uses seem arbitrary!
The answer is that, in these cases, make and do are delexical verbs. And yes, they are pretty arbitrary. But don’t worry. Click on the Make or Do link below for a lesson on which nouns take make and which ones take do. With this knowledge and some practice, you’ll get it right every time.
Have and Take
To have means to be in possession of something, while to take is to gain possession of something. This is pretty straightforward. Again, the confusion comes in when these verbs are collocated with specific nouns. Check out the lesson below to learn and practice this.
Give and Go
There are two more delexical verbs to learn about, and these are give and go.
We use give in verbal communication to refer to presenting or offering information. We give…
advice
a lecture
a talk
an answer
We also use it to refer to physical communication and body language and movement. We give…
a smile
a wink
a call
a shout
a hug
a slap on the back
a punch in the face
a kick
Here are a few other collocations and expressions to know:
Give it a try. = Try to do it by yourself.
I don’t give a damn. = I don’t care. (Careful! This is a bit rude.)
Go is another delexcial verb that can cause confusion for students whose first language is Spanish. In this case, there is a tendency to overuse the verb, because it sounds like the future tense ir a + base form. Go to does not indicate future action in English. For the Simple Future, you want to use will, going to + base form of a verb, or the Present Continuous for future. Avoid this common error!
Incorrect: I go to walk in the park later.
Correct: I will walk in the park later.
Correct: I will go for a walk in the park later.
Correct: I will go walking in the park.
Common colocations are to go…
crazy
for a ride
for a run
for a walk
dancing
shopping
skiing
To Sum Up
When you use and encounter the verbs do, make, have, take, give, go, remember that they might be normal verbs with literal meanings, or they might be delexical. When in doubt, think about the noun that follows them. If it is a noun that takes on the meaning of the verb, then the verb before it is a delexical verb, and doesn’t have its literal meaning. Just remember the verb’s colocation, and don’t go crazy trying to figure it out!
Keep practicing!
Be, Do, Have, Make Quizzes – Get lots of practice with a beginner or high intermediate/advanced level mega quizzes.
Do, Make, Have, Take, Give Quiz – An intermediate quiz about family.
Make, Do, Have, Take Quiz – House and Home
Make, Do, Have, Take Quiz – A high intermediate/advanced quiz and conversation about politics
