accept和receive都有收到的意思，receive通常指被動地收到或接到，也可表示接見或接待，而accept則指主動地接受。

1.accept和receive這兩個詞都含有“收到”的意思。在表示“贊同某一意見或看法”時可互換。

Her husband did not accept〔receive〕 her story.

她的丈夫不相信她的話。

The theory was not received〔accepted〕 as truth by the broad masses of people.

這一理論并未被廣大人民群眾當(dāng)成真理。

2.在表示“受到教育〔懲罰,支持〕”和“接待客人”等意時只能用receive,不能用accept; 而在表示“接受某條件”時卻只能用accept,而不能用receive。

3.receive只表示“被動地收到”這一事實(shí),而accept則多了一層主觀上“某種程度甚至完全贊同”的意味。例如:

I've received an invitation but I don't think I'll accept.

我收到一份邀請,但不準(zhǔn)備接受。

Though he has received several offers, he can accept only one of them.

雖然他收到了幾處的聘請,但他只能接受其中之一。

4.receive意為“收到”，表示客觀的，accept意為“接受”，表示主觀的。當(dāng)accept a gift時，表示接受了禮物，不會再退回，而receive a gift時，只是收到了禮物，可能還會退回。