Badly presented, it shouldn't be accepted (5)
I believe the answer is:
bribe
'it shouldn't be accepted' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for bribe that I've seen before include "Bung" , "Corrupt payment" , "Kickback" , "Sweetener, back-hander" , "Sweetener, inducement" .)