Real Grammar - Susan Conrad, Douglas Biber 2009

Meanings of Make + Noun Phrase
Unit 6 It really made a difference…

What have you learned from your grammar textbook?

Make is an irregular verb (make - made - made). (1) It means “to produce or create something.” (2) It can also show that a person causes something to be done.

1. The boy made a paper airplane.

2. The doctor made my back better.

What does the corpus show?

A

Make is an extremely common verb in both conversation and writing because it has many different meanings and uses. Make + noun phrase is a common structure. The literal meaning is “to produce something,” but this literal meaning is not common.

• I was going to make a gingerbread house this year.

B

In conversation, several nouns are especially common with make. These combinations express the following idiomatic meanings:

C

In writing, the nouns used with make are often more abstract but usually express idiomatic meanings:

Activities

1 Notice in context: Read these passages. Notice that the first one and the last two reproduce direct speech or conversation, underline the examples of make + noun phrase.

1. From a book giving advice to mountain climbers.

“We also feel a high carbohydrate diet can make a difference. Mountain climber studies show that on a carbohydrate diet, they feel better rather than when on a fatty diet,” he said. The study hopes to eventually provide information so people can make informed decisions about whether to go to high altitudes and how to prepare for such trips.

2. From a textbook about the decision process.

All decisions involve prediction of the likely consequences of actions. To make a prediction, the decision-maker must have a model of the environment which is being influenced.

3. From a woman’s letter from a war zone.

“It doesn’t make any sense how we have to scurry to the cold, damp bomb shelters whenever there is a raid, now almost every night,” she wrote. “I am so weary of it all. I would rather get a good night’s sleep and be bombed in bed.”

4. From an article giving advice to parents.

“You can see the difference in the kids involved,” Kelly said. “When you make time for your kids, it makes them feel special. So if they feel they’re important, they try a little harder.”

2 Analyze discourse: Each example below has a phrase in bold. Match it with a phrase from the box that has the same meaning. Write the letter of your choice on the line next to the example.

^a 1. Some parents take on debt to pay for high-quality child care. Pat Ward and her husband, parents of two, borrowed money from her parents to pay for an experienced caregiver for her first child and a neighbor’s child in New York City. “We had to decide about our priorities,” says Ms. Ward.

2. Davis’s breakthrough came in the early 1920s, when he began to use imagery taken from advertising. The artist’s decision to use the imagery of consumerism resulted in some of his most original art works, such as his celebrated images incorporating cigarette packages.

3. From a newspaper story about Unequal Educational Opportunities: “Money does have an effect,” education officials told a House of Representatives committee Wednesday as disagreements erupted over public school finances.

Two friends talk about a meeting:

4. Lin: Well, I’ll call you tomorrow to plan what we’ll do.

5. Mai: OK. Should I try hard to borrow a car Wednesday?

6. Lin: That sounds reasonable. That way you can drop me off at work.

3 Practice conversation: complete the following conversation, use four phrases with make from Section B. Make sure your conversation makes sense! When you are finished, practice your conversation with a partner.

A: Can I make a call on your cell phone?

B: Sure, but be careful. If you make a mistake, ...

A: ...

B: ...

A: …

B: ...

4 Practice writing: write a paragraph that makes some comparisons between riding a bicycle and using a car or bus. For example, does driving make sense if air pollution is a problem? Should people make use of a bicycle only for fun? What recommendations can you make for the best use of cars and bicycles? Use at least five make + noun phrases that are common in writing.

There are several advantages to using a bicycle instead of a car or bus. First, ...