A2 · Elementary · Practice

A2 Core Verbs: A2 Exercises

60 exercises · 20 multiple choice · 20 fill in the blank · 20 word ordering

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A small group of verbs does most of the work in English, and they are the ones learners get wrong longest, because their meaning depends on what follows them rather than on the verb itself. Make and do split the world between them along lines no other language draws. Say and tell differ by whether a person is named. Take, get, bring and come all involve movement and none of them is interchangeable.

These sixty exercises drill the twelve verbs that dominate A2 speech, in the fixed combinations that native speakers actually use: make a decision but do the washing-up, say something but tell somebody, take a photograph but make a phone call. Combinations like these are learned as whole phrases, not built from rules, so the questions here deliberately put each one in a full sentence. Getting them right is what makes A2 English sound natural rather than merely correct.

60 exercises in this set

3 question types

~25 minutes to finish

80% to pass

What these exercises drill

Every question in this set tests one of the rules below. If any of them is unfamiliar, read the A2 Core Verbs lesson first — practice before the rule is understood mostly teaches you your own guesses.

A small set of verbs — get, take, make, do, have, go — powers a huge share of everyday English.
Make = create or produce; do = perform an activity or duty.
Get changes meaning with its partner: get + adjective = become; get + noun = obtain.
Learn these verbs inside collocations, never alone.

Practise A2 Core Verbs now

Answer at your own pace — nothing is timed and nothing is submitted. Each answer is marked the moment you give it, the explanation appears whether you were right or wrong, and the progress bar tracks all 60. Your score is saved in this browser, and to your account if you are signed in.

Multiple choice questions

Choose the correct answer.

I need to ___ a decision by Friday.do · make · take · get
Could you ___ me the truth?say · tell · speak · talk
She didn't ___ anything about the change.tell · say · speak · talk
Who is going to ___ the washing-up?make · do · take · get
Let me ___ a photograph of you both.make · do · take · get
I'll ___ the bus into town.make · do · take · get
Can you ___ me a favour?make · do · take · give
He always ___ a lot of noise in the morning.does · makes · takes · gets
___ me know when you get there.Make · Do · Let · Take
I ___ an email from the bank this morning.took · got · made · did
She ___ me she was moving abroad.said · told · spoke · talked
Which is correct?make homework · do homework · take homework · get homework done to
Don't forget to ___ your keys.bring · take · come · make
We ___ a mistake with the booking.did · made · took · got
I ___ a shower every morning before work.make · do · take · get
He ___ very good English for a beginner.says · tells · speaks · talks
They are ___ about the new project.saying · telling · speaking · talking
___ care of yourself while I'm away.Make · Do · Take · Get
I'm ___ progress with my Georgian.doing · making · taking · getting
Which sentence is correct?He said me he was late. · He told me he was late. · He spoke me he was late. · He talked me he was late.

Fill-in-the-blank questions

Type the missing word.

We need to __________ a decision about the holiday.
Please __________ me what happened at the meeting.
He didn't __________ a word all evening.
Who is going to __________ the shopping this week?
Let me __________ a photo before you leave.
I usually __________ the train to work.
Could you __________ me a favour and post this?
The children are __________ a lot of noise upstairs.
__________ me know if you need anything.
I __________ a message from the hospital yesterday.
She __________ me she had found a new flat.
I have to __________ my homework before dinner.
Don't forget to __________ an umbrella with you.
I think we __________ a mistake on the form.
He __________ four languages fluently.
We were __________ about you only yesterday.
__________ care crossing that road — it's very busy.
I'm __________ good progress with the course.
Can you __________ some bread when you come over?
She __________ a shower and went straight to bed.

Sentence structure: word ordering

Put the words in the correct order.

Insist on choosing, using the right verb.We / must / make / a / decision / today.
Ask for an account, naming the listener.Please / tell / me / what / happened.
Report complete silence, with no listener named.He / didn't / say / anything / at / all.
Ask about a household chore.Who / is / doing / the / washing / up?
Offer to photograph somebody.Let / me / take / a / photo / of / you.
Describe a commute with the right verb.I / always / take / the / bus / to / work.
Ask for help with a fixed phrase.Could / you / do / me / a / favour?
Complain about a disturbance.The / children / are / making / too / much / noise.
Ask somebody to contact you on arrival.Let / me / know / when / you / arrive.
Confirm receiving something.I / got / your / message / this / morning.
Report information you received.She / told / me / about / the / new / job.
State a study obligation.I / have / to / do / my / homework / first.
Remind somebody to carry a document here.Don't / forget / to / bring / your / passport.
Admit an error in a booking.We / made / a / mistake / with / the / dates.
Describe language ability with the right verb.He / speaks / Georgian / and / Russian / fluently.
Report the subject of a conversation.They / were / talking / about / the / election.
Say goodbye with a fixed expression.Take / care / of / yourself / this / winter.
Report improvement in a skill.I / am / making / progress / with / my / reading.
Describe a morning routine.She / had / a / shower / before / breakfast.
Describe how you travelled after landing.We / took / a / taxi / from / the / airport.

Show the answer key for all 60 exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. I need to ___ a decision by Friday. → make: English makes decisions; it does not do them.
2. Could you ___ me the truth? → tell: Tell is followed by a person; say is not.
3. She didn't ___ anything about the change. → say: Say is used when no listener is named.
4. Who is going to ___ the washing-up? → do: Do is used for chores and unnamed activities.
5. Let me ___ a photograph of you both. → take: English takes photographs.
6. I'll ___ the bus into town. → take: Take is used with forms of transport.
7. Can you ___ me a favour? → do: Do a favour is the fixed combination.
8. He always ___ a lot of noise in the morning. → makes: English makes noise, mistakes and progress.
9. ___ me know when you get there. → Let: Let me know is a fixed expression meaning tell me.
10. I ___ an email from the bank this morning. → got: Get means receive in this context.
11. She ___ me she was moving abroad. → told: Tell takes a person directly after it.
12. Which is correct? → do homework: Homework is done, not made.
13. Don't forget to ___ your keys. → bring: Bring means carry towards the speaker or the place being discussed.
14. We ___ a mistake with the booking. → made: English makes mistakes.
15. I ___ a shower every morning before work. → take: Have or take a shower are both correct; make and do are not.
16. He ___ very good English for a beginner. → speaks: Speak is used with the name of a language.
17. They are ___ about the new project. → talking: Talk about is the natural combination for a discussion.
18. ___ care of yourself while I'm away. → Take: Take care of is a fixed expression.
19. I'm ___ progress with my Georgian. → making: English makes progress.
20. Which sentence is correct? → He told me he was late.: Only tell can be followed directly by a person.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. We need to ___ a decision about the holiday. → make: Decisions are made in English, never done.
2. Please ___ me what happened at the meeting. → tell: Tell is followed directly by a person.
3. He didn't ___ a word all evening. → say: Say is used when no listener is named.
4. Who is going to ___ the shopping this week? → do: Do is used with chores and general activities.
5. Let me ___ a photo before you leave. → take: English takes photographs.
6. I usually ___ the train to work. → take: Take is used with forms of transport.
7. Could you ___ me a favour and post this? → do: Do a favour is the fixed combination.
8. The children are ___ a lot of noise upstairs. → making: English makes noise, mistakes and progress.
9. ___ me know if you need anything. → Let: Let me know is a fixed expression meaning tell me.
10. I ___ a message from the hospital yesterday. → got: Get can mean receive.
11. She ___ me she had found a new flat. → told: Tell takes a person directly after it.
12. I have to ___ my homework before dinner. → do: Homework is done, not made.
13. Don't forget to ___ an umbrella with you. → take: Take is used for carrying something away from here.
14. I think we ___ a mistake on the form. → made: English makes mistakes.
15. He ___ four languages fluently. → speaks: Speak is used with the name of a language.
16. We were ___ about you only yesterday. → talking: Talk about is the natural combination for a discussion.
17. ___ care crossing that road — it's very busy. → Take: Take care is a fixed expression of warning.
18. I'm ___ good progress with the course. → making: Progress is made in English.
19. Can you ___ some bread when you come over? → bring: Bring means carry towards the place being discussed.
20. She ___ a shower and went straight to bed. → had: Have or take a shower are both correct in English.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Insist on choosing, using the right verb. → We must make a decision today.: Insist on choosing, using the right verb.
2. Ask for an account, naming the listener. → Please tell me what happened.: Ask for an account, naming the listener.
3. Report complete silence, with no listener named. → He didn't say anything at all.: Report complete silence, with no listener named.
4. Ask about a household chore. → Who is doing the washing up?: Ask about a household chore.
5. Offer to photograph somebody. → Let me take a photo of you.: Offer to photograph somebody.
6. Describe a commute with the right verb. → I always take the bus to work.: Describe a commute with the right verb.
7. Ask for help with a fixed phrase. → Could you do me a favour?: Ask for help with a fixed phrase.
8. Complain about a disturbance. → The children are making too much noise.: Complain about a disturbance.
9. Ask somebody to contact you on arrival. → Let me know when you arrive.: Ask somebody to contact you on arrival.
10. Confirm receiving something. → I got your message this morning.: Confirm receiving something.
11. Report information you received. → She told me about the new job.: Report information you received.
12. State a study obligation. → I have to do my homework first.: State a study obligation.
13. Remind somebody to carry a document here. → Don't forget to bring your passport.: Remind somebody to carry a document here.
14. Admit an error in a booking. → We made a mistake with the dates.: Admit an error in a booking.
15. Describe language ability with the right verb. → He speaks Georgian and Russian fluently.: Describe language ability with the right verb.
16. Report the subject of a conversation. → They were talking about the election.: Report the subject of a conversation.
17. Say goodbye with a fixed expression. → Take care of yourself this winter.: Say goodbye with a fixed expression.
18. Report improvement in a skill. → I am making progress with my reading.: Report improvement in a skill.
19. Describe a morning routine. → She had a shower before breakfast.: Describe a morning routine.
20. Describe how you travelled after landing. → We took a taxi from the airport.: Describe how you travelled after landing.

The errors these questions are built to catch

I did a big mistake.

I made a big mistake.

Mistakes are made, not done — collocation, not logic, decides.
She makes her homework after school.

She does her homework after school.

Homework belongs to the do family of duties and tasks.
I took a coffee with my friend.

I had a coffee with my friend.

In English you have food and drinks; take a coffee is a French/Spanish transfer.

After this set

With the core verbs secure, the last set of the level puts everything together in the patterns real conversations are made of.