Grammar Tips & Articles »

Make Do vs. Make Due

This Grammar.com article is about Make Do vs. Make Due — enjoy your reading!


1:54 min read
92,001 Views
  Angbeen Chaudhary  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

When things don’t go the way we want them to, what do you do in such situations? You make do the best out of it. In medieval English language, the phrase make do had a substitute and that was the phrase of make due. However, in today’s current language, only one of them can be used accurately.

With the help of this article, I will illustrate the difference between the two words, highlighting their contextual meanings. At end, I would explain a useful trick to help you utilize them accurately in your writing instantly.

Make-do as adjective:

Make do can also written with a hyphen, making it one word and that is an adjective which refers to something short term and momentary.

Make-do tents are utilized for camping these days.

Make do as phrase:

Make do without the hyphen is an entirely different phrase that has a definition to accomplish or survive with the limited resources available to an individual.

Josh has to make do without the missing ingredients.

In today’s English, the phrase ‘make do’ is the better version of the phrase ‘make due’.

Use of Make due:

Make due was commonly used till 1940s; however, it is no longer accepted in English language and using it is considered a grammatical or spelling error.

Examples:

I didn’t have a very high budget so we had to make due with cheap food on the trip.

They will have to make due without internet for a week.

The hotel’s booking system was down so, they had to make due without it.

The travelers had to make do with the little supply of water they had in the desert.

The café was out of tea so I had to make do with coffee.

Make do or make due:

In conclusion, make do is a two-word verb phrase that is acceptable in modern English of today’s world. It means to make the best use of whatever is provided in the unsuitable situation. Make due means the same however it is just an old version of the word that is no longer accepted. Remember, the word ‘do’ in make do is a verb which relates to carry out some action and so, the whole phrase ‘make do’ means to carrying out an action in bad conditions.

Make Do vs. Make Due

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

2 Comments
  • ~mike
    Sorry, i don't accept 'make due'.
    It makes me imagine that a mad librarian is running around with a rubber stamper set to todays date, and is stamping everyone on the forehead !
    LikeReply3 years ago
    • Soulwriter
      I'm with you on this!
      LikeReply3 years ago
  • Rosangela Cricci Taylor
    Rosangela Cricci Taylor
    It's interesting to say that "make due" is no longer accepted and it's seen as a spelling mistake, when in fact it makes much more sense than "make do". If we consider that "due" is synonimous with "adequate", "fitting" and "suitable", it is certainly more adequate to say "I will make due with this modern term, because the original one has been invalidated by the so-called smart minds in modern times". That is, I'll make it suitable, even though it's not the best choice.

    But at least the article explains the difference, and that's a good point. I just don't care for the label "no longer accepted". I do accept it! I think it's just fine, and it has more meaning, too. ;)
     
    LikeReply 334 years ago

Citation

Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Make Do vs. Make Due." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 Nov. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/make_do_vs._make_due>.

Free, no signup required:

Add to Chrome

Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

Free, no signup required:

Add to Firefox

Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

Free Writing Tool:

Instant
Grammar Checker

Improve your grammar, vocabulary, style, and writing — all for FREE!


Quiz

Are you a grammar master?

»
Identify the sentence with correct use of the preposition 'under':
A The cat is sleeping under the bed.
B The book is under the table.
C He drove under the speed limit.
D She walked under the ladder.

Improve your writing now:

Download Grammar eBooks

It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.