Accept vs Except | Receive or Agree, or Leave Out?
The words look similar, but the decision is different. Choose accept when someone receives, agrees to, approves or takes responsibility for something. Choose except when one person, item, time or category is left outside a group, schedule, rule or statement.
Leave out or exclude = except
Choose accept
Use accept when someone receives an offer, payment, delivery or application, agrees to terms or an invitation, approves a proposal, or takes responsibility.
Choose except
Use except when one person, item, place, day or category is excluded from a larger group, schedule, rule, permission or general statement.
Find the meaning anchor
Do not decide from the similar spelling. Read the words around the blank and identify whether they show receiving, agreement or approval, or one person or item being left outside a larger group or rule.
Because the revised proposal meets all safety requirements, the board is expected to ___ it.
Answer: acceptmeets all safety requirements, is the anchor. “meets all safety requirements,” is the anchor. It shows that someone is receiving, agreeing to, approving, or taking responsibility for something. Use “accept” for receive, agree to, or approve. “Except” means leave someone or something out, which is not the meaning required here.
All regional offices ___ the Sendai branch will close for inventory checks.
Answer: exceptAll regional offices is the anchor. “All regional offices” is the anchor. It shows that one person, item, time, or category is outside a larger group, schedule, rule, or statement. Use “except” for leave out or exclude. “Accept” means receive or agree, which is not the meaning required here.
The drill contains 2 untimed Warm-Up questions, 5 timed Anchor Drill questions and 5 timed New Context questions.
What your result shows
Your result shows whether you can separate receiving, agreement or approval from leaving someone or something outside a group or rule under time pressure. In Review, check the meaning anchor rather than the similar spelling.
If you missed accept
Look for an offer, payment, delivery, application, proposal, terms or responsibility. These signals point to receiving, agreement, approval or taking responsibility.
If you missed except
Look for all, every, everyone, no one, any or each, followed by one person, item, day or category left out. These signals point to exclusion.
If you chose from the spelling
Decide the business meaning first. Receiving, agreement or approval points to accept. Leaving someone or something out points to except.
Use Review in this order: check the correct answer, find the controlling meaning anchor, decide receive or agree versus leave out, and then read the reusable pattern.