Stiltzkin

Except - to make a distinction, to set apart, basically.

Example: Everyone except you can go outside.

Accept - to consent to, agree to, and receive, if applicable.

Example: I will accept that gift from you.

You cannot say:

"Everyone accept you can go outside."

This would mean something along the lines of, "Everyone, accept this person that I will suddenly refer to as 'you', and can go outside." This doesn't really make any good sense in the real world.

You also cannot say:

"I will except that gift from you."

This does not make any sense and would actually turn the sentence into a fragment. By this I mean that the sentence would become an incomplete thought. Allow me to demonstrate:

"I will, except that gift from you." <-- Makes no sense and is incomplete. The sentence may be completed as follows:

"I will, except that gift from you needs to be returned because it was defective." <-- A complete thought, although with poor sentence structure, but still a complete thought.

Now let's discuss pronunciation:

Accept is pronounced as "ak-sept". The "a" makes the same sound as in "pat", but not as in "pay", "care", or "father".

Except is pronounced as "ek-sept". The "e" makes the same sound as in "egg", but not as in "be".

Insure - means to provide insurance. If this definition doesn't satisfy you, "insurance" is defined as follows: "Coverage by a contract binding a party to indemnify another against specified loss in return for premiums paid." - (Dictionary.com) If this still isn't enough for you, "indemnify" is defined as: "1.) To protect against damage, loss, or injury; insure. 2.) To make compensation to for damage, loss, or injury suffered." This should suffice for you.

Example: Please be certain that you insure your vehicle after you purchase it.

Ensure - to ascertain. Basically means, "to confirm" or "to reconfirm". In a nutshell, it means, "to make sure of."

Example: Ensure that your safety belt is securely fastened before the ride begins.

As always, these two are not interexchangeable.

You cannot say:

"Please be certain that you ensure your vehicle after you purchase it."

This can easily be fixed by saying, "Please ensure that you insure your vehicle after you purchase it." Otherwise, it does not make sense.

You also cannot say:

"Insure that your safety belt is securely fastened before the ride begins."

Although it is a bit more difficult to explain this one, essentially, the word "insure" is completely out of context. Maybe someone can pickup from here. Feeling kind of tired. *yawns*

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