There is often confusion over the words accept and except. They sound
similar, but their meanings are very different.
Accept
'To accept' is a verb.
It has several meanings:
To hold something as
true.
 The
officer accepts your point and has decided to let you off with a caution. 
I accept she may have been tired, but that's still no excuse. |
To receive something
willingly.
I
accept this award on behalf of the whole cast.
Do you
accept dogs in your hotel?
Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.
(Groucho Marx) |
To answer 'yes'
(especially to an invitation).
The
minister would love to accept the invitation to your ball, but she has a
prior engagement. |
Except
The word 'except' is most commonly seen as a preposition.
However, it can also be used a conjunction
and very occasionally as a verb.
Except as a
preposition means 'apart from', 'not including' or 'excluding'.
I can resist everything except temptation.
(Oscar Wilde)
I have nothing to declare except my genius.
(Oscar Wilde)
Marge, don't discourage the boy!
Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals...except the weasel.
(Homer Simpson)
It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.
(Winston Churchill)
|
Except as a conjunction
means 'but' or 'if not the fact that'.
I would go
swimming, except I am scared of big fish.
|
Except as a verb means
'to exclude'.
You
are excepted from the ruling. |
Select the correct version:
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EXCEPT = EXCLUDING
Let the first two letters of except remind you that it means excluding.
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Easily Confused Words
