"Make a decision" is the standard collocation in American English (and generally preferred in global English); "take a decision" is more common in formal British English. Both are correct but belong to different registers and dialects.
MAKE A DECISION: the most widely used collocation globally and the standard in American English. "We need to make a decision before the end of the quarter." The verb MAKE in English combines with nouns of CREATION, RESULT, or MENTAL/COMMUNICATIVE ACTION: make a choice, make a mistake, make an effort, make progress, make a plan, make a suggestion. MAKE A DECISION emphasizes the ACT of deciding as something that is CREATED or PRODUCED. In global business English, MAKE A DECISION is the collocation recommended by most Business English manuals and exams like IELTS and TOEFL.
The leadership team needs to make a final decision on the vendor selection by the end of this week so that the implementation can begin on schedule.
It is important to make these decisions based on data rather than on intuition, particularly when the long-term financial implications are significant.
The committee has been unable to make a decision because two key pieces of information from the risk assessment are still outstanding.
TAKE A DECISION: accepted and common collocation especially in formal BRITISH English, business, and politics. "The board took a decision to proceed with the merger." In British English, TAKE combines with actions implying RECEIVING or ASSUMING something: take responsibility, take action, take control, take a risk, take an exam. TAKE A DECISION emphasizes that someone ASSUMES the responsibility of deciding. Both collocations are CORRECT in global English — the choice depends mainly on dialect (American vs British) and context (global English vs formal British English). In an international exam or global business English = MAKE A DECISION is the safer choice.
The board of directors took a unanimous decision to appoint an independent audit committee to review the financial reporting procedures.
It is the responsibility of the chief executive to take decisions of this magnitude, not to delegate them to operational management.
Having taken a decision to enter the Southeast Asian market, the company must now develop a comprehensive localization strategy.
Common mistake
Most frequent errors with MAKE/TAKE + action nouns: (1) "Do a decision" = INCORRECT. DECISION does not go with DO. (2) "Take a mistake" = INCORRECT. MISTAKE only goes with MAKE: "make a mistake." (3) "Make an exam" = INCORRECT. EXAM goes with TAKE or DO: "take an exam" / "do an exam." (4) "Take a suggestion" = INCORRECT. SUGGESTION goes with MAKE: "make a suggestion." MAKE and TAKE collocations are fixed — they cannot be freely interchanged. Safest rule for exams: MAKE A DECISION is the global standard. Key collocation lists: MAKE a choice / a mistake / an effort / progress / a suggestion / a point. TAKE action / responsibility / a risk / a break / an exam / advantage.
Trick to remember it
The COLLOCATION LIST: most important MAKE and TAKE collocations that confuse Spanish speakers: MAKE: a decision / a choice / a mistake / an effort / progress / a suggestion / a plan / a point / a difference. TAKE: action / responsibility / a risk / a break / an exam / a test / control / advantage (of) / part (in). DO: homework / research / business / a course / an exercise / damage. GET: permission / access / feedback / results. Memory rule: if the noun implies CREATING something mental = MAKE. If it implies ASSUMING something = TAKE. If it implies PERFORMING an activity = DO.
Quick rule
Make a decision = global standard (American + Business English). Take a decision = formal British (equally correct). In exam or global English: use make. Never "do a decision." Key collocations: make a mistake / take action / do research.
Did you know?
Collocations (fixed word combinations) are one of the greatest challenges of English as a second language. While English grammar can be learned with rules, collocations are largely ARBITRARY — there is no logic explaining why one says "make a mistake" and not "do a mistake," or "take a risk" and not "make a risk." Linguistic corpora have revealed that non-native speakers make collocation errors far more frequently than pure grammatical errors. In fact, second language acquisition researchers have shown that mastering collocations is one of the last stages of linguistic acquisition — something non-native speakers continue acquiring even at advanced C1 and C2 levels. A learner can have impeccable grammar and extensive vocabulary but sound "odd" to a native speaker due to collocation errors.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The investment committee will _____ a final determination at the conclusion of the due diligence process, which is expected to take approximately six weeks.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The regional director has been authorized to _____ action on procurement decisions up to a specified threshold without requiring board approval.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Make a decision = global standard (American + Business English). Take a decision = formal British (equally correct). In exam or global English: use make. Never "do a decision." Key collocations: make a mistake / take action / do research.
Most frequent errors with MAKE/TAKE + action nouns: (1) "Do a decision" = INCORRECT. DECISION does not go with DO. (2) "Take a mistake" = INCORRECT. MISTAKE only goes with MAKE: "make a mistake." (3) "Make an exam" = INCORRECT. EXAM goes with TAKE or DO: "take an exam" / "do an exam." (4) "Take a suggestion" = INCORRECT. SUGGESTION goes with MAKE: "make a suggestion." MAKE and TAKE collocations are fixed — they cannot be freely interchanged. Safest rule for exams: MAKE A DECISION is the global standard. Key collocation lists: MAKE a choice / a mistake / an effort / progress / a suggestion / a point. TAKE action / responsibility / a risk / a break / an exam / advantage.
The COLLOCATION LIST: most important MAKE and TAKE collocations that confuse Spanish speakers: MAKE: a decision / a choice / a mistake / an effort / progress / a suggestion / a plan / a point / a difference. TAKE: action / responsibility / a risk / a break / an exam / a test / control / advantage (of) / part (in). DO: homework / research / business / a course / an exercise / damage. GET: permission / access / feedback / results. Memory rule: if the noun implies CREATING something mental = MAKE. If it implies ASSUMING something = TAKE. If it implies PERFORMING an activity = DO.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy