Can you make it working (work) again?

Many speakers write or say phrases like "make it working," "make him doing it," or "make the engine starting." Standard English uses a different pattern. Below you'll find the short rule, the common exceptions, and plenty of natural rewrites you can copy for work, school, and casual situations.

Quick answer

Use the bare infinitive after causative make: make + object + base verb. Write "make it work," not "make it working."

Pattern: make + object + base verb (no to, no -ing).
Keep -ing only when the -ing form is a noun (gerund) or when make itself is in a non-finite form (progressive).
If you need politeness or a passive sense, use get/have/get someone to + infinitive or have + past participle.

Core rule: make + object + base verb

When make is causative-meaning someone causes someone or something to act-follow it with the object and the base verb.

Using -ing after the object here is incorrect because the structure requires the base verb as the complement.

Correct: "She made him apologize."
Incorrect: "She made him apologizing."
Correct: "They made the software crash."
Incorrect: "They made the software crashing."

Wrong/Right: Wrong: "Can you make it working again?" -
Right: "Can you make it work again?"
Wrong/Right: Wrong: "She made him crying." -
Right: "She made him cry."
Wrong/Right: Wrong: "They made the engine starting." -
Right: "They made the engine start."

When -ing after make is acceptable

-ing is correct when it is a gerund (a noun) or when the -ing form belongs to make itself (progressive), not to the caused action.

Gerund (noun): "The heat made sleeping difficult." (sleeping = noun)
Progressive: "I'm making it work." (making = progressive form of make)
Different pattern: resultative constructions use participles after be/get, e.g. "The noise left him shaken."

Usage: Correct (gerund): "The rain made walking dangerous for the kids."
Usage: Correct (progressive): "He's making the app work again."
Usage: Incorrect: "They made him arriving late." - Better: "They made him arrive late."

Real usage: work, school, and casual examples

Pairs below show the incorrect -ing form and one or more natural rewrites with different tones.

Work:
Wrong: "Can you make the report finishing by Friday?" - Direct: "Can you make the team finish the report by Friday?" - Polite: "Could you get the team to finish the report by Friday?"
Work:
Wrong: "He made the software installing." -
Right: "He made the software install." -
Alternative: "He had the software installed."
Work:
Wrong: "Make it working before the demo." - Direct: "Make it work before the demo." -
Formal: "Please ensure it works before the demo."
School:
Wrong: "Make the student finishing the exercise." -
Right: "Make the student finish the exercise." - Polite: "Can you ask the student to finish the exercise?"
School:
Wrong: "The teacher made us writing an essay." -
Right: "The teacher made us write an essay."
School:
Wrong: "Could you make the deadline extended?" -
Right: "Could you extend the deadline?"
Casual:
Wrong: "He made me laughing so hard." -
Right: "He made me laugh so hard."
Casual:
Wrong: "Make it working, please!" -
Right: "Make it work, please!" - Softer: "Please get it working."
Casual: Natural: "I'll make sure it works."

Fix your sentence: checklist and rewrite templates

Spot the pattern, decide the tone, then apply a template.

Checklist: 1) Find make + object + verb-ing. 2) Is verb-ing a noun? If not, replace with the base verb. 3) For politeness or passivity, use get/have alternatives.
Templates to copy:
make + object + base verb - "Make him finish the task."
get + object + to + verb - "Get him to finish the task." (polite/arrange)
have + object + past participle - "Have the task finished by Friday." (passive/arranged)

Rewrite:
Original: "They made the engine starting." -
Rewrite: "They made the engine start."
Rewrite:
Original: "Can you make him doing this task?" -
Rewrite: "Can you make him do this task?" - Softer: "Can you get him to do this task?"
Rewrite: Original (urgent): "Make it working!" - Direct: "Make it work!" - Polite: "Please get it working."
Rewrite:
Original: "Please make her doing the demo." -
Rewrite: "Please make her do the demo." -
Alternative: "Please have her do the demo."

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence, not just the phrase. Context usually makes the correct pattern clear.

Examples: many wrong/right pairs for quick practice

Practice by mentally replacing -ing with the base verb until the correct form feels automatic.

Pair: Wrong: "They made the machine running all night." -
Right: "They made the machine run all night."
Pair: Wrong: "I can't make the alarm ringing." -
Right: "I can't make the alarm ring."
Pair: Wrong: "Please make her doing the demo." -
Right: "Please make her do the demo."
Pair: Wrong: "Let him doing that." -
Right: "Let him do that."
Pair: Wrong: "He helped me finishing the task." -
Right: "He helped me finish the task."
Pair: Wrong: "She made us standing in the sun." -
Right: "She made us stand in the sun."
Pair: Wrong: "Make the printer starting." -
Right: "Make the printer start." - Alt: "Get the printer to start."
Pair: Wrong: "They made him preparing the slides." -
Right: "They made him prepare the slides."

A quick memory trick

Think: make = make DO. If the phrase should express DOing, use the base verb, not -ing.

Mini-rule: make + who/what + DO (not doing).
Quick test: Replace -ing with the base verb. If the sentence reads correctly, change it.

Test: "They made him doing it." → replace doing with do → "They made him do it." (correct)

Spacing, hyphenation, and brief grammar notes

Formatting doesn't change grammar, but consistent spacing and clear hyphenation reduce proofreading errors.

Spacing: use single spaces after punctuation; double spaces can hide slips.
Hyphenation: reserve hyphens for compound modifiers before nouns (rarely needed in verb clauses).
Progressive vs causative: "I'm making it work" (making = progressive) differs from the incorrect "make it working."
Passive/arrange alternatives: use have/get + object + past participle - "I had the window fixed."

Spacing: Fix double spaces: "Can you make it work? "
Hyphen: Prefer "a solution to make it work" over "a make-it-work solution" for clarity.
Progressive: Correct: "She's making the engine work right now." -
Incorrect: "She's making the engine working."

Similar mistakes and short grammar comparisons

Let, help, get, and have behave like make in related ways. Learn their patterns so you don't transfer the -ing error.

Let: let + object + base verb - "Let her go." (not "Let her going")
Help: help + object + base verb or to + verb - "Help me carry this" or "Help me to carry this."
Get: get + object + to + verb - "Get him to sign the form." ("Get him signing" suggests ongoing action.)
Have (causative/arrange): have + object + past participle - "Have the report submitted by Monday."

Comparison: Wrong: "He helped me finishing the task." -
Right: "He helped me finish the task."
Comparison: Wrong: "Get him doing the job." - Better for arranging: "Get him to do the job." ("Get him doing" is possible but means start an ongoing activity.)
Comparison: Wrong: "Have him doing it." -
Right: "Have him do it" or "Have it done."

FAQ

Is "make him doing it" correct?

No. Use the base verb after make when it's causative: "make him do it."

When can I use -ing after make?

Use -ing when it is a gerund (a noun) - "The storm made driving dangerous" - or when make is in progressive form: "I'm making it work."

Should I say "get him doing" or "get him to do"?

"Get him to do" is the usual phrasing for persuading or arranging. "Get him doing" emphasizes starting ongoing action and carries a different nuance.

How do I politely ask someone to fix something without "make"?

Use get/have or a direct verb: "Could you get the technician to fix this?" or "Please ensure the system works."

What's a fast editing trick to catch this error?

Search for "make + object + verb-ing." Replace verb-ing with the base verb. If the result reads correctly, update it; otherwise choose a get/have rewrite.

Fix sentences faster

Paste a sentence into a checker to see make + verb suggestions and rewrites. Practice the templates above until the correct pattern feels automatic.