Accept vs. Except

How to use "accept" and "except" correctly

This is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.

Except can be used as a verb, but only to mean “to exclude.”

refused to except defeat
refused to accept defeat

People are dishonest, cruel, and selfish…present company excepted, of course.

Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English

List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list

Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage