Key Difference

• Accept is a verb meaning to receive or agree to something.
• Except is most often a preposition or conjunction meaning to exclude or apart from something.

Detailed Breakdown

1. Accept (verb)
   • Meaning: To receive something willingly or to agree to something.
   • Usage: You use “accept” when someone takes or agrees to something, whether it’s a gift, an offer, or an idea.
   • Examples:
     • “I accept your invitation to the party.” (Agreeing to attend)
     • “She accepted the job offer.” (Receiving or agreeing to take the job)
     • “Will you accept my apology?” (Willingly receiving the apology)
2. Except (preposition or conjunction)
   • Meaning: To exclude something or to signify an exception.
   • Usage: Use “except” to point out something or someone that is not included in a group or list.
   • Examples:
     • “Everyone arrived on time except Sarah.” (Sarah is excluded from the group that arrived on time)
     • “I love all fruits except bananas.” (Bananas are excluded from the fruits the person loves)
     • “He did all the chores except washing the dishes.” (Excluding the task of washing dishes)

Quick Analogy

Think of accept as embracing something with open arms, while except is like holding out a hand to stop one thing from joining a group.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Incorrect: “Everyone accept John went to the meeting.”
  Correct: “Everyone except John went to the meeting.”
  (“Except” is correct here because we’re excluding John from the group.)
• Incorrect: “I except your apology.”
  Correct: “I accept your apology.”
  (“Accept” is correct here because you’re agreeing to receive the apology.)

Practice Time!

Fill in the blanks with either accept or except:

1. I’ll ______ the gift with gratitude.
2. Everyone has completed the project ______ Sam.
3. She didn’t ______ his excuse for being late.
4. They love all animals ______ snakes.

Answers:

1. accept
2. except
3. accept
4. except

Quick Tip:

To help you remember:

• Accept means “agree to” (like “a” for agree).
• Except means “excluding” (think of “ex” in “except” as meaning “out”).