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Fri May 21, 2004 18:26 pm Except |
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Hi,
An interesting question but difficult to give 'rules' on. I think 'except for' tends to be for people in the first place but that doesn't mean exclusivley for people. Take this sentence, which would be a typical example: Everybody agreed with the proposal except for Sally, who thought it was a stupid idea. Again: The bank is open all day every day except Saturday and Sunday. I hope you can see from this that 'except for' gives the sense of personalizing the noun to which it refers. Another difference is that 'except for' tends to be more specific. Accepting that they both mean 'not including', the addition of 'for' makes the exclusion somehow more pointed.
Hope this helps
Alan _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Prepositions |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 7274 Location: UK
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Thu May 27, 2004 8:59 am Thank you! |
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Hi Alan,
Many thanks for your help. Especially for giving me typical examples. They are very commonly used words but sometimes very confusing. (Need to learn more!)  |
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Kumi I'm new here and I like it ;-)

Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Posts: 29 Location: Japan
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Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:46 am How to use 'except' and 'except for' |
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Hi,
I have the same confusion. For example:
1. there was complete silence except for the sound of someone coughing. 2. New lightweight materials have replaced traditional ones except for certain special uses.
Some test answers said that both the above shouldn't be except, why?
haihao |
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Haihao I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 26 Oct 2006 Posts: 1306 Location: Japan
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Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:31 am How to use 'except' and 'except for' |
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Hi Haihao,
As you will see from the comments I made over two years ago, 'except for' tends to suggest particular exclusivity. I think if you use 'except' on its own, this is often followed by a general list or a general exclusion. Both your sentences do bear that out by referring to particular exclusions.
A _________________ English as a Foreign Language You can read my EFL story Words, words, words... |
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Alan Co-founder

Joined: 27 Sep 2003 Posts: 7274 Location: UK
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Fri Dec 01, 2006 16:46 pm Good question/good explanation |
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Thank you for the explanation, Alan. Like the other fellow-users here, this has always been a question for me. I think this is becoming clearer to me now. _________________ Learning is a sacred engagement. |
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Ahmadov I'm here quite often ;-)

Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 287 Location: Azerbaijan
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Sun Dec 03, 2006 1:27 am How to use 'except' and 'except for' |
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As clear as a bell to me, too. Thank you very much, Alan.
haihao |
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Haihao I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 26 Oct 2006 Posts: 1306 Location: Japan
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