"Accept" vs. "Except"

"Accept" and "except" are among the most confusing word pairs in English. If you've ever mixed them up, you're not alone. Even native speakers make this mistake all the time. These two words sound alike but have different meanings, and today’s blog post will help clear up the confusion.

"Accept"

The verb "accept" means to receive or agree to something willingly. Think of it as saying "yes" to something. Here’s how we use "accept" in a sentence:

"I accept your apology."

"She accepted the job offer."

"They accepted the award with pride."

You use "accept" when you’re agreeing to take something in, like an offer, a gesture, or a prize.

"He accepted the invitation with joy."

"The teacher accepted the late assignment."

"We accepted the conditions of the contract."

"Except"

On the other hand, "except" is a preposition that means to exclude or leave out something. Here’s how we use "except" in a sentence:

"Everyone attended the meeting except John."

"The store is open every day except Sunday."

"I like all fruits except bananas."

It's the word you use when you're pointing out who or what is not included, often in a group or list.

"All the dishes were great except this one."

"The park is open daily except during holidays."

"She likes all colors except yellow."

Now that you've got the hang of "accept" and "except," you can confidently use them in your conversations and writing. If any other tricky cases come up, don’t worry — we’ll cover those in a future post.

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