TOEIC Link Part 5: accede versus exceed

Accede and exceed end with the same -cede/-ceed sound and both descend from the Latin cedere (to go), so the ear treats them as cousins. But they do completely different jobs. Accede is about agreeing to or consenting to a request or demand; exceed is about going beyond a limit, quantity, or expectation. Part 5 rarely lets both fit one blank, so the meaning of the sentence settles the answer — if you read it. For another pair separated mostly by sound, see cite versus site.

The core rule: agree versus go beyond

• accede (verb, often + to) = to agree to, consent to, or grant a request or demand. Management acceded to the union's request for longer breaks. / The board acceded to the shareholders' proposal.
• exceed (verb) = to go beyond a set limit, amount, or standard. Total costs exceeded the approved budget. / Demand exceeded our forecast by twenty percent.

The clue is what follows the verb. Accede almost always takes to and points at a request, demand, or wish that someone grants. Exceed takes a direct object that names a limit or number — a budget, a quota, a speed, an expectation — and says the real figure went past it.

Why Part 5 likes this pair

The two words attach to different kinds of objects, so the noun after the blank usually decides the answer.

Revenue for the quarter __ the company's most optimistic projections.

The blank acts on projections (a limit or forecast), so exceeded fits. You cannot "accede projections."

After lengthy negotiations, the supplier finally __ to the revised delivery terms.

Here the blank is followed by to and points at terms the supplier agreed to, so acceded is required.

Spotting the clue in the structure

Look at what sits immediately after the blank:

• The verb is followed by to + a request, demand, wish, or set of terms → choose accede (accede to a request, accede to demands).
• The verb takes a direct object naming a limit or quantity — budget, capacity, quota, expectations, the speed limit → choose exceed (exceed the budget, exceed expectations).

A quick test settles most items: if you can insert to and the sentence is about agreeing, you want accede; if the sentence is about a number or ceiling being surpassed, you want exceed. For another pair where the object decides the answer, see adverse versus averse.

Quick self-check

1. The city council __ to residents' demands for a new crosswalk. (acceded — agreed to a demand)
2. Sales in the third quarter __ all previous records. (exceeded — went beyond a limit)

Takeaway

If the blank is about granting or agreeing to a request, demand, or set of terms — usually followed by to — you need accede. If it is about a figure, limit, or standard being surpassed, you need exceed. Read the noun after the verb, decide whether it is a request or a ceiling, and the shared -cede/-ceed sound stops being a trap. For a related agree-versus-go-past distinction, see precede versus proceed.