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Contract Law

Acceptance by promise

The first set of cases in this section involves acceptance by promise. This is what you probably think of as the typical contract. Both parties agree to do various things in the future: I promise to sell you my car and you promise to pay me for it; I promise to work for you and you promise to pay my salary; and so on. The question -- sometimes -- in these scenarios is when, exactly, the acceptance is effective. In these cases, identify the offer and then try to determine what the crucial fact is in determining whether acceptance has occurred.