ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediatestructurestructure
Make a decisionvsTake a decision
'Make a decision' is the standard American collocation; 'take a decision' is more common in formal British English.
Side-by-side comparison
Make a decision
structureThe standard collocation in English is "make a decision": you decide by creating or adopting a choice. "Make" is the verb that most naturally goes with "decision".
You have to make a decision by tomorrow, the offer expires at midnight.
It is never easy to make a decision when both options have their own advantages.
She made a quick decision to take the job without overthinking it too much.
Take a decision
structure"Take a decision" also exists and is acceptable, especially in British English. However, "make a decision" is more frequent and universal across all contexts.
The committee took a unanimous decision to postpone the event until next spring.
After long discussions, they finally took a decision and moved forward with the project.
It is time to take a decision, we cannot keep waiting for the perfect moment.
Common mistake
- •"Do a decision" is wrong: decisions go with "make" (global standard) or "take" (formal British).
- •And never swap fixed collocations: "make a mistake" (never "take"), "take action" (never "make").
Trick to remember it
- •Does the noun imply creating something mental? "Make".
- •Assuming something? "Take".
- •Performing an activity? "Do".
- •Key lists: make a mistake / take action / do research.
Quick rule
"Make a decision" = global standard. "Take a decision" = formal British. Never "do a decision". Fixed collocations: make a mistake / take action / do research.
Did you know?
Collocations are one of the greatest challenges of English as a second language, because they are largely arbitrary. There is no perfect logic explaining why it is "make a mistake" and not "do a mistake," or "take a risk" and not "make a risk." Second language acquisition researchers have shown that collocation errors are more frequent than grammatical errors even in C1 and C2 learners, you can have impeccable grammar and broad vocabulary but sound odd to a native speaker due to wrong collocations. The only real solution: massive exposure to authentic English to internalize the patterns naturally.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
It took her a long time to _____ a decision about which university to attend.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Who _____ the final decision in your family? Who has the last word?
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
Active voicevsPassive voice
In the active voice the subject acts; in the passive voice the subject receives the action.
DovsMake
'Do' is used for actions and general tasks; 'make' is used when the result is something tangible or created.
GetvsBecome
"Get" signals an informal or quick change; "become" signals a formal or gradual one.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy