make of
Hi,

I looked up this phrasal verb in some dictionaries but I'm still confused about its meaning. Here are some examples from Macmillan, could you please explain them to me?

[make something of someone/something] to use chances and opportunities in order to be successful - What does something and someone in the structure [make something of someone/something] refer to?
E.g.
1. This job is whatever you make of it. - Is 'job' here the chance/opportunity to help 'you' succeed? And the sentence means "the job is a chance for me to be successful", isn't it? What does "it" refer to?

2. I want to make something of my new life here. - Where is the "chances/opportunities"?

Sorry if it's too long, I really appreciate any comments I might get. Thank you!

Question

make of
Hi,

I looked up this phrasal verb in some dictionaries but I'm still confused about its meaning. Here are some examples from Macmillan, could you please explain them to me?

[make something of someone/something] to use chances and opportunities in order to be successful -> What does something and someone in the structure [make something of someone/something] refer to? 
E.g.
1. This job is whatever you make of it. -> Is 'job' here the chance/opportunity to help 'you' succeed? And the sentence means "the job is a chance for me to be successful", isn't it? What does "it" refer to?

2. I want to make something of my new life here. -> Where is the "chances/opportunities"?

Sorry if it's too long, I really appreciate any comments I might get. Thank you!

Answer

Your "make something of someone/something" is conflating two things. 1. "to make something of yourself" (or "I wanted to make something of myself"), which means to become a success and 2. "what do you make of something?", which means "what is your understanding of something?". They're two different things. 1. "to make something of yourself" and 2 "to make of something", which is always AFAIK used in a question, as in "what do you make of ...".

Answer

In both of these situations the context refers to someone improving themselves or their current situation.

The phrase: "this job is whatever you make of it" can be explained as whatever effort you invest in this job is the reward or credit you will receive. Here, "it" refers to the job itself.

The other phrase: "make something of my new life." Can be explained as someone trying to create a better lifestyle or make overall improvements to his life. this is another way of saying "I want to be better" Or " I want to improve myself Or my life."

Answer

1. Yes, you are correct - job is the opportunity - you can make it successful or unsuccessful. The choice is yours

2. Life is the opportunity. You can make a good life or a bad life. You have the choice to make things happen.

Hope this helps
Jane :)

Answer

In both of these situations the context refers to someone improving themselves or their current situation.

The phrase: "this job is whatever you make of it" can be explained as whatever effort you invest in this job is the reward or credit you will receive. Here, "it" refers to the job itself.

The other phrase: "make something of my new life." Can be explained as someone trying to create a better lifestyle or make overall improvements to his life. this is another way of saying "I want to be better" Or " I want to improve myself Or my life."