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If I want to tell someone to make /do competition with me or with other guy, what is the right way to express it?

  1. Let's do/ make competition!

  2. Let do competition!

  3. Let make competition!

  4. Let's do competition!

I would like to understand the using of 's after let (let's), if any. Also, I would like to understand the distinction between 'make' and 'do'.

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    Competitions are not made, nor are they done. They are had, set up, they happen, they take place. If you want to compete, you can simply say, "let's have a competition", or even "let's compete". Commented Oct 4, 2015 at 20:18
  • And building on what @VictorBazarov says, we're more likely to say "Let's have a contest than a competition. Commented Oct 4, 2015 at 20:24
  • @StoneyB I, native British, would say "Let's have a competition" rather than "Let's have a contest". Might just be a regional thing - I think "contest" is more American. Commented Oct 5, 2015 at 12:39

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If you want to challenge someone to a competition, you could just say "Let's compete in <something>!" Or "Let's have a <something> contest!" More formally, swapping "Let's" out for "Let us" is possible, but that would be a little unusual. In either case, this is the sense of "I suggest that we […]".

If you want to ask someone to give you permission to compete, you would instead say "[Will you] let us compete, please?" (And presumably give some sort of reason why.) In this case, you cannot use the contracted form "let's" at all, because you're emphasizing the allowing sense of "let", and that is never what "let's" means.

"Let us" (in either sense) can also be changed to "let them" if you don't include yourself.

Neither "do" or "make" are really appropriate here at all, without major revisions to try to fit them in somewhere. And "let" without "us" or "them" immediately following won't work either.

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