Alanna Madden
January 6, 2021
Grammar Tips
The verb accept means ‘to consent,’ ‘agree,’ or ‘receive.’ The word except is a verb, conjunction, or proposition that means ‘to exclude’ or ‘object.’
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The words accept and except are clearly separate words, but it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference when we pronounce them aloud. But not only are these words homophones (same pronunciation, different meanings), English also uses “accept” and “except” for nearly opposite meanings.
Whether it’s a preposition, conjunction, or verb, we generally use “except” to convey an exclusion, exception, or objection. For example,
As we can see, the word “except” can easily bring negative vibes to the table. As for “accept,” the verb largely conveys acts of agreement, acknowledgment, understanding, or receiving (a more positive connotation, we’d say). For example,
See the difference?
Most English speakers use the word except as a preposition or conjunction, but the term also exists as a formal verb. Let’s take a look:
The verb except means ‘to specify as excluded from a group or category,’ although it depends on transitive and intransitive usage. As a transitive verb, ‘except’ means ‘to omit’ or ‘exclude.’ For example,
The intransitive form of except means ‘to object’ or ‘take exception.’ For example,
Verb forms of except include: excepted (past participle), excepting (present participle), and excepts (present tense).
Bar, challenge, count out, defy, disregard, exclude, expostulate, fight, kick, object, omit, leave out, pass over, protest, remonstrate, rule out, take exception, take issue.
As a preposition, the word except means ‘not including,’ ‘with the exclusion of,’ or ‘other than.’ For example,
Apart from, aside from, bar, barring, beside, besides, but, excluding, exclusive of, leaving out, not counting/including, other than, outside, outside of, save, saving.
English speakers use except as a conjunction before statements that make an exception or an exclusion from a category or group. For this sense, the conjunction means ‘if it were not for the fact that’ or ‘otherwise than.’ For example,
But, do other than, only, other than, otherwise than, saving, yet.
The word except entered Late Middle English from Latin exceptus, the past participle of excipere (‘to exclude’). As denoted by Lexico, Latin excipere consists of the prefix ex- ‘out of’ and capere ‘take.’
The verb accept generally means ‘to consent or receive something offered’ or ‘to find an understanding of something’s validity.’ However, the verb’s connotation can differ by context. Let’s take a look:
#1. To agree to an offering (especially with an affirmative “yes”). For example,
#2. To acknowledge or take upon any duty, liability, or responsibility. For example,
#3. To admit or receive something deemed adequate, valid, or suitable to a group, entity, society, or family. For example,
#4. To regard, recognize, or reach an understanding of something proper, true, or valid (even under unfavorable circumstances). For example,
#5. To receive a designated type of payment. For example,
#6. To adhere or to hold something applied or inserted. For example,
Verb forms of accept include: accepted (past participle), accepting (present participle), and accepts (present tense).
Abide, accede, acquire, adhere, approve, assent, assume, bear, believe, concede, confirm, consent, embrace, endure, favor, gain, handle, have, obtain, okay, receive, shoulder, submit, succumb, support, sustain, take, tolerate, understand, undertake, uphold, welcome.
Abjure, avoid, circumvent, challenge, decline, deny, disallow, disapprove, disavow, disbelieve, disclaim, discredit, disfavor, dismiss, disown, distrust, doubt, fight, forsake, question, recant, refuse, reject, relinquish, repudiate, resist, suspect, veto, withdraw.
Initially as Middle English accepten, the origins of “accept” stem back to Latin acceptāre, a verb form of accipere (‘to receive’). Latin accipere contains the prefix ad- (‘add’) and capere (‘to take’).
The word accept has several related terms that we can use to describe one who accepts or is accepted. In fact, we can use the verb’s past and present participles (accepted and accepting) as adjectives to describe as much. Let’s take a look at our options:
The verb except is tricky to use because of how often people misspell accept, which Garner’s Modern English Usage (GMEU) calls “one of the grossest errors that a published writer can commit” (362–363). Harsh.
Indeed, misspelling “accept” as “except” is quite embarrassing, and we often find this mistake in phrases like, “The store is excepting cash,” or “they don’t except me for who I am.”
To avoid this mistake, remember that ‘to except’ is to ‘exclude,’ ‘omit,’ ‘object,’ or ‘take exception to.’ So, even if the spellings are intentional, the sentences are not grammatically correct or understandable.
Additionally, GMEU advises writers to avoid using “excepting” outside of “not excepting” while substituting the phrases “except for” or “aside from” (362). For example,
By GMEU’s logic, the phrase “excepting work” is unfavorable because it sounds less natural than “not excepting work” (you can be the judge of that). However, the grammar source says nothing about using lone “excepted,” so it’s fair to say the following sentence is fair game (362):
Except is a preposition when it begins a phrase (not a clause). But there are two conditions: no finite verbs or the use of “that” after “except” (362). For example,
In the opposite fashion, except is a conjunction when it introduces a clause containing a finite verb and the relative pronoun “that” after “except.” For example,
Last note:
When a pronoun follows the preposition “except,” be sure to write it in the objective case. Likewise, when a pronoun follows the conjunction “except,” use the nominative case instead. For example
Test how well you understand the difference between accept and except with the following multiple-choice questions.
Answers
