Besides vs. Except

🗣

Besides and except can be very tricky. Let’s learn a simple rule to remember how to use them correctly.

Buy me a cup of coffee! ☕ If you found my materials useful and you’d like to support me, buy me a cup of coffee here: ko-fi.com/sipofenglish

Theory - introduction

Read the rules. Try to remember the + and - symbols. They will help you determine which word you should use later.

💡

Be careful! Beside means next to. E.g. My dog likes to sit beside me on the couch. Here, we’re talking about the word besides.

☕

In the sentence “Besides coffee, I like tea and lemonade.” We could also say “Besides drinking coffee, I like drinking tea and lemonade.” The verb drink is in the gerund form. It ends with ing.

Theory - more examples

🏊🏿

Besides and except can be used at the beginning of a sentence or in the middle of a sentence. Take a look at those examples. → Besides swimming, I like jogging and basketball. → I like jogging and basketball besides swimming. → Except for walnuts, I like all nuts. → I like all nuts except walnuts.

Let’s practise!

Exercise 1

Choose the correct word and watch the clips to check your answers.

"Because we're great together, you can't deny it. And besides/except, you're carrying my baby. I mean, how perfect is that.” (we’re great together + you’re carrying my baby)

"There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides/except the will of evil.” (there’s evil +other forces)

"I have compassion for every soul besides/except you. I don’t like you." (I have compassion for everybody - but not for you)

"Ok, so what do you need? Besides/Except a miracle?" (You need a miracle + what else?)

"Suspect is a Michael Lewis Foster. Record's clean on this guy, no convictions besides/except for... He was booked for arson back in '95." (He’s record is clean - one crime)

"My dad and I don't agree on anything, besides/except for the comic Li'l Cutie. We both hate it. But we can't stop reading it!” (We don’t agree on anything - the comic)

"Is there something bothering you? I mean besides/except your fabulous debut?” (there’s something bothering her + the debut)

"All right, Sergeant. What is it?" "What's what, Major?" "I was told I was needed, and here I am." "What for?" "That's what I'm asking you." "We've got no problems here, Major. Besides/Except yours.”

"I understand there's a problem with Gage Petronzi." "Well, yeah. Besides/Except the behaviour problem, he won't do homework, and his test scores are... Well, actually, he doesn't have any test scores because he never shows up.” (there are a few problems with this guy: he doesn’t behave well, doesn’t do his homework and doesn’t show up for the tests)

Analysis - quotes

Let’s take a look at two quotes from clips we’ve watched. Can you see the pattern?

Exercise 2

Construct sentences from the examples below.

I like bananas + oranges and apples.

I like vegetables - tomatoes.

Everybody was at the party - Emma.

She plays basketball + volleyball.

Jake’s favourite type of music is rock + metal.

This place is calm and quiet - during summer holidays when kids camp here.

This job offer seems like a scam. They don’t offer health insurance + the job description is unclear.

They never leave the house - when they need to go shopping.

The office is open everyday - Saturdays and Sundays.

I don’t think I can meet you today. I’m swamped with work + I need to wake up early tomorrow.

Exercise 3

Explain the difference between the sentences below.

1a Besides me, everybody will be there. 1b Except me, everybody will be there.

2a Besides apples, I like all fruits. 2b Except apples, I like all fruits.

3a Besides her, I know everybody here. 3b Except her, I know everybody here.

4a Besides me, everybody would like a coffee. 4b Except me, everybody would like a coffee.

5a We are open every day besides Sundays. 5b We are open every day except Sundays.

6a Jim can speak many languages besides Polish. 6b Jim can speak many languages except Polish.

Exercise 4

Read those sentences. Are they true for you as well? Use “besides” and “except” in your answers.

I wake up early every day, except for weekends. How about you?

Besides studying, I had a part-time job at the age of 22. How about you?

I listen to all kinds of music, except for classical music. How about you?

I don’t speak any foreign languages, except for English. How about you?

Besides a dog, I also have a cat. How about you?

Besides spiders, I’m afraid of snakes. How about you?

I like all types of pizza, except for pizza with pineapple. How about you?