How to use 'except' and 'except for'

[Kumi]

Hello teachers,

I have been having a problem how to use except / except for properly. I have checked the usage of them on the Internet and in my dictionaries, and even discussed with my English conversation school teacher, but it's just becoming more and more confusing for me.

Explanations are different up to the dictionaries, and the rules how to use them proplerly and naturally are not clear to me. In some sentences it's possible to replace except instead of except for, but in some sentences it's impossible to replace them alternatively. Could you please explain the difference of these, and also give me the rules how to use them naturally and correctly in sentences? If you give me a explanation for reasons why we should follow specific rules(with some examples), I will appreciate it very much.

Thank you for your help in advance.

Kumi

[Alan]

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

[Kumi]

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!)

[Haihao]

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

[Alan]

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...

[Ahmadov]

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.

[Haihao]

As clear as a bell to me, too. Thank you very much, Alan.

haihao