Accept vs. Except—Learn How To Use These Words Properly
Whether you’re an English language learner or a native speaker, there’s one thing we all have to accept: English can be puzzling, and there’s no other way around it.
Except that there is. This blog post will teach you the difference between accept and except and fill you in on a secret that makes writing in English a breeze.
What Does “Accept” Mean?
Accept is a verb that has quite a few meanings. It can be used when “willfully receiving something that is offered.”
You can also use accept when “agreeing or approving something.”
Accept is also commonly used “to express that you believe something is true.”
If you’re “allowing admittance or welcoming someone into a group,” you can say that you’re accepting them.
You can also use the word accept when “agreeing or conceding to something without protest,” or when “regarding something as normal or inevitable.”
Yes, accept has a handful of different meanings, but they’re all somewhat similar: receiving, approving, or allowing something.
What Does “Except” Mean?
Except can function as a preposition or conjunction that refers to excluding something. Here are some examples:
It’s also occasionally (and less commonly) used as a verb that means “to leave out or not include something.”
The verb form is usually where the confusion comes in. If you mean to say that you left something out, make sure to use except and not accept.
Using “Accept” and “Except” Correctly
So, if you’re deciding whether to use accept or except, just remember that accept means to approve or receive something, and except means to exclude.
Again, these nuances are something we all have to accept about English. But, a fast and easy way to make sure you never use these words (or any other) incorrectly is by using LanguageTool as your spelling and grammar checker. This advanced multilingual editor will make writing in English (or any other of the 25 languages it supports) easy.
