"Make an effort" 或 "put in effort" 是表示做出努力的常用说法。

其来源可能源自于努力的行动，如为了实现某个目标而不懈地工作。

例句：

I know it's difficult, but we have to make an effort if we want to succeed. (我知道很难，但如果我们想成功，就必须做出努力。)
He put in a lot of effort to learn the new language. (他做出了很多努力学习新语言。)
She always makes an effort to be on time for meetings. (她总是努力按时参加会议。)