Except means not including, or leaving something out. When you say “everyone except Sarah went to the park,” you mean that Sarah didn't go, but everyone else did. When a sign says “open every day except Monday,” it means the place is closed on Monday but open the other six days of the week.

The word helps you point out what's different or what doesn't follow the usual pattern. If your teacher says “you all did well on the test except for the last question,” she means that question was the only problem. If someone is “good at every sport except swimming,” swimming is the one sport they struggle with while they excel at others.

Except often appears at the beginning of phrases that show an exception to a rule or pattern: except for, except when, except that. You might say “I like all vegetables except Brussels sprouts” or “the party was perfect except for the rain.”

Be careful not to confuse except with accept, which means to receive something willingly or agree to something. You accept a gift or accept an apology, but you use except to show what's left out or different from the rest.