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I Can’t Accept Your Exception to the Rule
Posted by Editormum on Wednesday, 19 October 2005 in Usage and Diction | ∞
Like the words affect and effect, accept and except are often confused. Misusing them, however, is an egregious error that can give a very bad impression of your communication skills.
Accept is a verb that means “to take something that is offered.” You can accept the terms of a contract, accept a marriage proposal, accept a bad situation, or accept a gift.
Except is more versatile. It can be a verb, a conjunction, or a preposition. In any usage, it means “to leave out.”
- as a verb: Her singing voice excepted, Amy was as accomplished as any ornamental young lady of the Victorian era.
- as a conjunction: Mike hates the game of Chess, except when he wins.
- as a preposition: Every car in the fleet except John’s is painted green.
To sum up: Others will not accept mistakes made in the usage of these two words, except when you are known to be under the influence of intoxicating beverages.