40+ Common Collocations with DO: Mastery Guide with Examples

When I first started teaching English, I noticed something: my students could conjugate “do” perfectly in isolation, but in real sentences they’d say things like “I do the homework” or “She does a big mistake” — both technically grammatical, but awkward. The problem wasn’t their grammar; it was their collocations. “Do” is one of the most frequent verbs in English, but it only sits comfortably next to certain nouns. You’ll walks you through 40+ of the strongest collocations with “do” — the ones native speakers actually use — sorted by register and context. For more, see our business presentation phrases. For more, see our English job interview tips.

By the end of this article, you’ll know which noun goes with “do” in everyday situations (do the dishes, do well, do research), which collocations are formal or professional (do a deal, do business), and which ones trip up learners most often. You’ll see real examples, learn register rules, and be able to use “do” with confidence in speaking and writing.

What Are Collocations with “Do”?

“Do” is a versatile verb that can mean “perform an action,” “complete a task,” “function,” or “produce a result.” When we talk about collocations with “do,” we mean the specific nouns that naturally pair with this verb. Not all nouns work: you can “do homework,” but you can’t “do studying”; you can “do a favour,” but not “do a help.”

Collocations aren’t rules — they’re preferences 🔊 🎤 that native speakers have developed over centuries of language use. Learning them helps you sound more natural and fluent. Instead of sounding like you’re translating from another language, you start sounding like someone who has genuinely internalized English.

Housework & Domestic Chores

This is the category where “do” shines. When talking about household tasks, “do” is the standard verb. You rarely hear “make the dishes” or “perform the laundry” — it’s always “do.”

Collocation	Meaning	Example
Do the dishes	Wash the dinner plates and utensils	“Whose turn is it to do the dishes tonight?”
Do the laundry	Wash clothes in a machine	“I do the laundry every Sunday.”
Do the cooking	Prepare meals	“My partner does the cooking; I do the cleaning.”
Do the cleaning	Tidy and sanitize the house	“We do the cleaning together on Saturday mornings.”
Do the housework	All domestic tasks collectively	“How do you divide the housework in your home?”
Do the ironing	Press clothes with a hot iron	“I listen to podcasts while I’m doing the ironing.”
Do the shopping	Buy groceries or goods (British English especially)	“We usually do the shopping at the farmer’s market.”
Do the washing	Wash clothes or dishes (British: “do the washing up”)	“Can you do the washing before dinner?”

Example sentence: “I’ve done the dishes, but I still need to do the laundry and do the cooking for tomorrow.”

Work, Study & Academic Collocations

In school and professional contexts, “do” pairs with specific academic and work-related nouns. Here, the collocations emphasize engagement with a task or subject.

Collocation	Context	Example
Do homework	School assignments	“Have you done your homework yet?”
Do a course	Enroll in and complete educational training	“I’m doing a course in digital marketing this summer.”
Do research	Investigate a topic or conduct studies	“She’s doing research on climate change for her PhD.”
Do a project	Undertake a planned work task	“We’re doing a group project on medieval history.”
Do experiments	Conduct scientific tests	“We did three experiments in chemistry lab yesterday.”
Do a report	Write or present findings	“I’m doing a report on global trade patterns.”
Do an exam	Take a test (British English)	“How did you do on your exam?”
Do sums	Solve math problems	“The students need to do sums without a calculator.”

Example sentence: “Before you do the exam, make sure you’ve done the homework and do some practice problems.”

Activities & Hobbies

When describing recreational activities, “do” often pairs with sports, games, and leisure pursuits. Note: some activities use “play” (soccer, piano) while others use “do” (gymnastics, yoga, crosswords).

Do collocations	Play collocations (not “do”)
Do gymnastics	Play soccer (not “do soccer”)
Do yoga	Play chess (not “do chess”)
Do crosswords / Do puzzles	Play tennis (not “do tennis”)
Do exercise	Play cards (not “do cards”)
Do martial arts / karate	Play an instrument (not “do an instrument”)
Do swimming	Play a game (can also say “do a game”)

Example sentences:

“I do yoga three times a week and do crosswords on Sunday mornings.”

“My son wants to do gymnastics, but I think he should try martial arts instead.”

Performance & Quality Outcomes

When describing how someone performs or the quality of their work, “do” combines with adverbs and adjective phrases. These collocations are especially useful in professional and academic feedback.

Well/Badly/Better collocations:

• Do well 🔊 🎤 — perform successfully (“She did well on the test.”)
• Do badly 🔊 🎤 — perform poorly (“Our team did badly in the first half.”)
• Do better 🔊 🎤 — improve performance (“I think you can do better next time.”)
• Do your best 🔊 🎤 — make maximum effort (“Just do your best and don’t worry about the result.”)
• Do a good/great/terrible job — achieve a certain level of quality (“You did a great job on the presentation!”)

Example conversation:

“How did you do on your driving test?”

“I did okay overall, but I did badly on the parallel parking. I’ll do better next time.”

Business & Formal Professional Collocations

In business English, “do” pairs with more formal nouns to describe deliberate actions and agreements. These collocations carry weight and are used in contracts, meetings, and formal emails.

Collocation	Meaning & Context	Example
Do business	Engage in commercial transactions	“We’d like to do business with your company.”
Do a deal	Complete a formal agreement or transaction	“They did a deal to merge the two firms.”
Do a favour	Help someone with a request	“Can you do me a favour? Could you call my boss?”
Do damage	Cause harm or negative consequences	“The scandal did serious damage to his reputation.”
Do harm	Cause injury or negative effect	“The medicine won’t do you any harm.”
Do good	Create a positive impact or benefit	“Volunteering at the shelter does me good.”
Do the right thing	Act ethically or correctly	“When I found the wallet, I did the right thing and turned it in.”
Do your duty	Fulfill an obligation or responsibility	“The soldiers were doing their duty to protect the nation.”

Personal Care & Appearance

When talking about grooming and personal grooming tasks, “do” is the standard verb in English.

• Do your hair 🔊 🎤 — style or arrange hair (“I need to do my hair before the party.”)
• Do your makeup 🔊 🎤 — apply cosmetics (“How long does it take you to do your makeup?”)
• Do your nails 🔊 🎤 — manicure or paint nails (“I just did my nails, so I can’t touch anything wet.”)

Note: You can also say “have your hair done” (at a salon) or “get your nails done,” which shifts the action to someone else doing it for you.

Common Mistakes Learners Make

✗ Incorrect: I did the homework and made my studies.

✓ Correct: I did my homework and studied (or “did some studying”).

Why: “Do homework” is the standard collocation; “study” is the verb, not a noun you “make.”

✗ Incorrect: She does a big mistake in the presentation.

✓ Correct: She made a big mistake in the presentation.

Why: You “make” mistakes (or errors), not “do” them. “Do” is for tasks and actions; “make” is for creating or causing something.

✗ Incorrect: Can you do me a help?

✓ Correct: Can you do me a favour? (or “Can you help me?”)

Why: The collocation is “do a favour,” not “do help.” “Help” itself is the verb — you don’t noun it this way in standard English.

✗ Incorrect: We are doing a lot of work yesterday.

✓ Correct: We did a lot of work yesterday.

Why: Tense agreement — “yesterday” signals past, so use “did,” not “are doing.”

✗ Incorrect: I do exercise at the gym yesterday.

✓ Correct: I did exercise at the gym yesterday (or “I did a workout” or “I exercised”).

Why: Same tense issue as above; also, “do exercise” is less common than “exercise” (verb) or “do a workout.”

Side-by-Side: Register & Strength Comparison

Not all collocations are equally common or register-neutral. Here’s how they compare:

Collocation	Strength	Register	Frequency
Do well / Do badly	Very strong	Neutral	Very common
Do homework / Do the dishes	Very strong	Casual/everyday	Very common
Do business / Do a deal	Strong	Formal/business	Common in professional contexts
Do your best / Do the right thing	Very strong	Semi-formal/motivational	Common
Do research / Do experiments	Very strong	Academic	Very common in education
Do exercise	Moderate	Neutral	Less common than “exercise” (verb)
Do a course	Very strong	Semi-formal	Very common in education

Sample Dialogues

Quick Quiz: Choose the Right Collocation

Register Notes: Formal vs. Casual

Very formal / business contexts: Do business, do a deal, do damage, do harm, do duty, do the right thing, do a good job.

Neutral / everyday: Do homework, do the dishes, do the cleaning, do well, do your best, do a favour.

Casual / personal: Do the laundry, do chores, do your hair, do your nails, do yoga, do crosswords.

Academic: Do research, do experiments, do a project, do a report, do sums, do an exam.

Pro tip: Match your collocation to your audience and situation. In a job interview, use “I did research on your company” (formal), not “I was doing research on you” (too casual).

Grouped by Meaning: 40+ Complete Collocation List

• Do homework
• Do the dishes
• Do the laundry
• Do the cooking
• Do the cleaning
• Do the ironing
• Do the shopping
• Do housework
• Do yoga
• Do gymnastics
• Do exercise
• Do crosswords
• Do martial arts
• Do well
• Do badly
• Do better
• Do your best
• Do a good job
• Do a course
• Do research
• Do experiments
• Do a project
• Do a report
• Do sums
• Do business
• Do a deal
• Do a favour
• Do harm
• Do good
• Do damage
• Do duty
• Do the right thing
• Do your hair
• Do your makeup
• Do your nails
• Do something right
• Do something wrong
• Do nothing
• Do anything
• Do everything

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