What is the effect of an offeree accepting only part of an offer?

When an offeree accepts only part of an offer, it constitutes a counteroffer. This is because acceptance in contract law needs to be unqualified and mirror the terms of the offer. If the offeree changes the terms or only agrees to a portion, they are not accepting the original offer as presented but rather proposing a new deal based on altered terms.

This action indicates that the offeree is not willing to accept the entirety of the original offer and is instead suggesting modifications. The original offeror now has the option to accept this counteroffer, reject it, or negotiate further. The significance of this concept lies in the idea that a valid acceptance must reflect an agreement to the full terms proposed, so any deviation, whether partial or otherwise, shifts the dynamics back into negotiation territory rather than establishing a binding contract based on the initial offer.