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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > do / make a castle
do / make a castle
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colibrita
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do / make a castle
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Hi Everyone,
Ok, the other day I tell my 3 year old who �s playing in the sand to "do a castle".My Spanish friend asked me why it wasn �t "make a castle"? I told her that both were fine, since "make" usually has the idea of creating something but to be honest I �m not sure why "do" was also ok in this instance.
Any ideas?
Hugs
Colibrita
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27 Jun 2011
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yanogator
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Maybe BE is different, but I wouldn �t say "do a castle".
Bruce |
27 Jun 2011
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Minka
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DO a castle doesn �t make much sense to me either.
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27 Jun 2011
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mariec
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I�d say "make a castle" or maybe "build a castle"
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27 Jun 2011
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libertybelle
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We say go and build or make a sand castle.
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27 Jun 2011
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colibrita
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I feel it �s similar to this situation: Imagine a child is drawing a house, you might say to them, why don �t you "do" some windows or a chimney? In this case you coulddn �t use "make".
Or is this just British English? Do you have to say "draw" elsewhere?!!
Curious Colibrita
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27 Jun 2011
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maryse pey�
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I agree with make a castle. "build" makes me think of a TRUE castle, not a sand one.
"Make" lets suppose a concrete result that everyone can see on the beach, even if after this result will disappear. |
27 Jun 2011
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redcamarocruiser
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Do/did can be a stand in verb for draw, make, attempt, or create as in the following example.
The child did a caricature of a famous person. When finished, he asks him Mom, "Who should I do now? He means who should he draw now. Mom can answer, "Do Ronald McDonad."
Similarly, I can imagine the scenario on the beach where the child has dug a hole and filled it with sea water. When he became bored with that activity, he bagan making a sand sculpture of a turtle, then of a mermaid. Running out ideas, he asks his Mom what he should attempt next. She would be able to say, Do a sand castle."
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27 Jun 2011
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teachertonyinchina
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I would use make or build, do a sand castle makes no sense to me. |
28 Jun 2011
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lalla99
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I agree with redcamarocruiser: we often use �do �, paradoxically, as a substitute when the first choice might be �make � esp. as it �s connected to creating. My explanation for this would be that in our minds, we are thinking of doing an activity, rather than making something and that �s why we say �do �.
This lack of fixed rule must be very frustrating, but I don �t think English is alone ... 
Caroline |
29 Jun 2011
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