Accept and Except

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. For example:

• 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'. For example:

• I would go swimming, except I am scared of big fish.

Except as a verb means to exclude. For example:

• You are excepted from the ruling.