The Washington Post | September 12, 2022
"Senate leaders accept compromise bill."
Accept vs. Except
The '30 Seconds' Difference At A Glance
To accept means to receive or agree to something, while except means to exclude or leave something out.
The store will accept all major credit cards except American Express.
A Deeper Look
Accept is about taking or agreeing to something - and it works for all sorts of things. You can accept physical things (like packages or payments), emotional things (like apologies), or just accept facts and situations in your mind.
The shop only accepts cash payments.
It took me a while to accept that my favorite cafe had closed down.
Except is the word you use when you're leaving something out or excluding it from a group. It's often used to point out the one thing that's different from everything else in a group.
The office is open every day except Sunday.
Everyone except Tom brought snacks to share.
Easy way to remember: If you're receiving or agreeing to something, use "accept." If you're leaving something out, use "except."
Common Usage Patterns
Accept
accept an offer, accept responsibility, accept defeat, accept payment, widely accepted, generally accepted, accept the terms
Except
except for, except when, all except, except that, everyone except, except if, except where stated
Key Patterns
Accept is always a verb. Except can be a preposition, conjunction, or rarely a verb (meaning "to leave out")
What Teachers Say
"I tell my students to remember that 'accept' starts with 'ac' like 'action' - it's always something you do."
-- Rachel, Toronto
"Think of 'except' as having an 'x' - it marks what's excluded, just like an X marks something out."
-- David, Sydney
"In business English, 'accept' often pairs with nouns like 'terms,' 'conditions,' 'payment' - it's about receiving or agreeing."
-- Lisa, London
From The Headlines
The Guardian | March 3, 2020
"Major retailers accept new contactless payment limits."
BBC News | June 15, 2014
"Olympic committee accepts all qualifying standards, but not those set during unofficial events."
Test Yourself!
1. Please _______ my apology for being late.
2. Everyone _______ John has submitted their assignment.
3. The committee will _______ all proposals that meet the criteria, _______ those submitted after the deadline.
