English Grammar Lab

← C1

Besides, except, except for and apart from

You will be able to Distinguish additive meanings from exceptions and qualifications.

Explanation

Besides normally adds information and means in addition to. Except excludes an item from a set. Except for commonly qualifies a general statement by naming its only limitation. Apart from can be additive or exceptive, so context must make the intended meaning clear.

Examples

Detailed course

Understand the grammar point

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Detailed explanation

Besides, except, except for and apart from can all introduce additional or excluded information, but they do not perform the same function. Besides is usually additive and means “in addition to”. It can introduce a noun phrase, an -ing clause or a further reason: Besides the cost, we must consider safety. Besides being expensive, the plan is difficult to maintain.

Except removes one item from a clearly understood set. It often follows words such as all, every, everyone, no one, nothing and whole: Everyone agreed except the legal adviser. The office is open every day except Sunday. Except may also introduce a short clause, especially with bare infinitives after do: She did nothing except complain.

Except for qualifies a general statement by identifying its single limitation. “The report was excellent except for two numerical errors” first presents the report positively, then narrows that claim. Except for is especially useful when the excluded item is not naturally a member of the preceding set. Compare: Everyone except Marta attended, but The room was empty except for a broken chair.

Apart from is flexible. It can mean either “in addition to” or “except for”, so context must make the interpretation clear. “Apart from teaching, she supervises internships” is additive. “Apart from one delayed train, the service was reliable” is exceptive. In formal writing, ambiguity can often be avoided by choosing besides for addition and except for for qualification.

Punctuation and sentence position influence emphasis but not the core meaning. An initial phrase such as Except for one limitation, the method is robust foregrounds the qualification. A final phrase such as The method is robust, apart from one limitation presents the main claim first. Always determine whether you are adding information, excluding a member of a set, or qualifying a broad statement.

How to form it

Use besides + noun phrase or -ing clause for addition. Use except + item when it is excluded from an explicit or understood set. Use except for + noun phrase to qualify a general statement. Use apart from + noun phrase or -ing clause for either addition or exception, ensuring that the context makes the meaning unambiguous.

Besides usually adds another point, activity or reason.

Except excludes one member from a set introduced by all, every, everyone, no one and similar expressions.

Except for commonly introduces the only limitation to an otherwise general statement.

Apart from can be additive or exceptive, so it may be ambiguous without sufficient context.

In precise formal writing, prefer a less ambiguous marker when two interpretations are possible.

Guided examples

Besides collecting survey data, the team conducted twenty interviews.

Besides adds a second research activity rather than excluding anything.

Every department submitted its figures except finance.

Finance is excluded from the complete set introduced by every department.

Except for a minor formatting problem, the article was ready for publication.

The phrase qualifies the broad positive assessment by identifying one limitation.

Apart from coordinating the project, Lina manages the training budget.

Here apart from is additive and means in addition to.

The museum is open throughout the year except on public holidays.

Public holidays are excluded from the set of days on which the museum opens.

Apart from one inaccurate label, the exhibition was carefully documented.

Here apart from is exceptive and introduces the only qualification.

Common mistakes

Not: Besides one missing reference, the bibliography was complete.

Use: Except for one missing reference, the bibliography was complete.

The missing reference is a limitation, not an additional positive feature.

Not: All the candidates besides Amir completed the interview.

Use: All the candidates except Amir completed the interview.

Amir is excluded from the set introduced by all the candidates.

Not: Except to teach, she also writes educational software.

Use: Besides teaching, she also writes educational software.

The sentence adds another activity, and besides is followed by an -ing form.

Not: The building was empty except a security guard.

Use: The building was empty except for a security guard.

Except for naturally qualifies the general statement that the building was empty.

Before you practise

  • Am I adding a point or excluding one?
  • Is the excluded item a member of an explicit set?
  • Am I qualifying a broad statement with one limitation?
  • Could apart from be interpreted in two ways?
  • Does the following complement require a noun phrase or an -ing clause?

Reading text

Evaluating a Community Arts Festival

About 241 words

The annual community arts festival was widely regarded as a success. Every scheduled performance took place except the outdoor concert, which was cancelled because of heavy rain. Except for that change, the programme followed the published timetable closely.

Besides presenting work by established artists, the festival gave local students an opportunity to exhibit digital installations. Several schools contributed projects, and all of them except one attended the opening ceremony. The absent school had experienced transport difficulties but sent a recorded presentation instead.

Visitor feedback was strongly positive. Apart from a few comments about the queues at the entrance, most respondents praised the organisation. In this sentence, apart from introduces an exception. Elsewhere in the report, however, the same expression has an additive meaning: apart from managing the ticket desk, volunteers guided visitors and assisted performers. The organisers therefore revised the final report to prevent readers from misinterpreting the phrase.

Financially, the festival remained within budget except for additional security costs. Those costs arose after the outdoor venue had to be closed. Besides the direct expenses, the organisers considered the value of unpaid volunteer work, which had not appeared in the original budget.

The evaluation concluded that the festival should continue. Except for one cancelled event and several minor logistical problems, it achieved its aims. The committee also recommended clearer language in future reports. Where apart from might be ambiguous, writers should choose besides for addition or except for for a limitation.

Reading comprehension

  1. Which scheduled event did not take place?

    Show answer

    The outdoor concert was cancelled because of heavy rain.

  2. What additional opportunity did the festival provide?

    Show answer

    It allowed local students to exhibit digital installations.

  3. Why did the organisers revise the wording of the report?

    Show answer

    They wanted to avoid ambiguity in the use of apart from.

  4. What language recommendation did the committee make?

    Show answer

    Use besides for addition and except for for a limitation when apart from could be ambiguous.

Grammar in the text

  1. except the outdoor concert

    The concert is excluded from the complete set of scheduled performances.

  2. Except for that change

    Except for qualifies the broad statement that the timetable was followed.

  3. Besides presenting work by established artists

    Besides adds another function of the festival and is followed by an -ing clause.

  4. Apart from a few comments about the queues

    Apart from is exceptive here; the surrounding positive evaluation makes that meaning clear.

Listening practice

Watch a TEDx talk

“TED's secret to great public speaking” — Chris Anderson (TED). Listen for clear, natural English and pick up new vocabulary while you review this grammar point.

Check your understanding

According to Chris Anderson, what is the one underlying thing that all great talks have in common?

Check your understanding

What does Anderson warn speakers against doing on the TED stage?

Practice

Choose the best answer. ___ her laboratory work, Dr Karim supervises three doctoral projects.

Practice

Choose the best answer. All departments approved the proposal ___ the finance office.

Practice

Choose the best answer. ___ a minor formatting error, the article was ready for publication.

Written practice

Produce the answer yourself. Capitalisation and final punctuation do not affect validation, but the grammar and word order must be correct.

Short answer

Written practice

Complete the sentence with except or except for.

___ one missing appendix, the report was complete.