215. Naming Exceptions

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Exceptions have to be named in different ways in different situations

FEATURES OF EXCEPTION-NAMING

Exceptions are closely associated with the frequent professional writing need to state a rule or generalization: they are the realities that so often contradict or fail to fit in with an attempt to generalize (see 95. Numbers & Generalizations). Language learners will have a special familiarity with the way rules and generalizations tend to involve exceptions!

Like most common meanings, exceptions can be expressed in English in a wide variety of ways. Some are often mentioned in language courses, but I have rarely seen a complete overview. This post considers the variety of exception-showing prepositions, important differences between except, except for and except that, and the numerous other types of word that can show exceptions. Among these latter are some rarely-described possibilities like unless, only, however, unusual and breaks the trend.

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NAMING EXCEPTIONS WITH A PREPOSITION

Exception-naming prepositions are, like prepositions for saying how and naming a cause, surprisingly numerous. The main ones are apart from, aside from, bar(ring), but not (or but alone after all…, every…, anything…, nothing… or little…), except, except for, excepting, excluding, other than, save, save for and with the exception of. Many, it is clear, are multi-word, while some are “multi-use” – more familiar when used in another way (see 3. Reading Obstacles 2).

Except and except for are the most central prepositions. They are sometimes interchangeable and sometimes not. Excepting, excluding and barring are preposition-like participles (see 205. Paraphrasing Prepositions with Words of Other Kinds).

1. Except

Most prepositions combine with a following noun to make either adjective-like phrases (describing a preceding noun or equivalent) or adverb-like ones (relating to a verb or entire statement – see 84. Seven Things to Know about Prepositions, #2). However, except makes adjective-like phrases more easily than adverb-like ones. Part of the reason is that, without for, it often cannot start a sentence. Adjective-like except phrases normally follow a noun expression involving the general idea of “all” or “nothing”:

(a) London has everything except reliable SUNSHINE.

(b) No creatures survive in extreme cold except certain MICRO-ORGANISMS.

(c) An interview will be granted to any applicant except past EMPLOYEES.

The underlined noun expressions here can precede not just except but also any of its synonyms listed above – though but not would sound clumsy after the negative no in (b).

Except in the above sentences is acting like a normal preposition, with a following noun or equivalent (capitalised). However, it is also used sometimes before wording that is not noun-like, but adverb-like or a verb instead.

Adverb-like wording after except (and its synonyms excluding except for and save for) may take the form of an adverb (e.g. except occasionally) or a preposition phrase (e.g. except in winter) or a conjunction statement (e.g. except when winter comes). Hardly surprisingly, except phrases containing any of these are always adverb-like rather than adjective-like – they add information to a verb rather than a preceding noun, and the preposition and conjunction types can start a sentence.

Of the three types of adverb-like wording able to follow except etc., ordinary adverbs are quite rare. Most seem to indicate time or place:

(d) Detainees can go anywhere except outside.

Preposition phrases after except words again mostly indicate either a time, like on occasion, or a place:

(e) Plant growth is ubiquitous, apart from in the desert.

Occasionally, though, a preposition phrase after except may start with a more abstract preposition like regarding, in terms of or in the case of.

The third kind of adverb-like wording after except words, conjunction statements, contain a standard-form verb as well as a noun (see 174. Eight Things to Know about Conjunctions, #7). Likely conjunctions besides when include after, before, if, in order to and while. Although that after except is also a conjunction, it differs from the others in helping to make a single conjunction phrase rather than a preposition + conjunction (see “Other Options” below).

If a verb rather than adverb expression follows except in place of a noun, it normally needs not the typical -ing (“gerund”) form of verbs after a preposition, but the infinitive:

(f) The program DOES EVERYTHING except monitor performance.

(g) Victims of some illnesses can DO LITTLE except rest.

As these show, infinitives after except (monitor and rest) lack the normal to in front of them – i.e. they must be “bare” infinitives (see 148. Infinitive Verbs without “to”). Of the synonyms of except, only apart from, but, other than and save can be used similarly.

An infinitive is not always possible after except: generally the main verb must be DO, and its object must include an extreme quantity expression like all, anything, most, little or nothing. Even then, an infinitive is not always necessary: if DO is in a continuous tense, e.g. is doing in (f), the verb after except will normally have -ing – except monitoring in (f).

This kind of -ing after except is not the same as the following:

(h) Online shopping INVOLVES little except choosing and clicking.

Here, the main verb is INVOLVE, not DO. There is never a possibility of using the infinitive choose instead of choosing. The reason why CHOOSE has -ing is that it is part of the object of a verb (INVOLVE) that always requires any verb within its object to have -ing (see 232. Verbs with an Object + “-ing”).

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2. Except for

Except for usually seems to need a noun-like partner. This would explain why it can replace except in sentences (a)-(c) but not in (d)-(g). However, except for + noun is more widely usable than except + noun, being more easily able to make adverbial phrases as well as adjectival ones.

One special adverbial use of except for + noun is at the start of a statement, before any generalizing word. Sentences (a)-(c) could all have their exception at the start after except for but not except. They could also have apart from, barring, excepting, excluding, save for and with the exception of (but not but or save).

In addition, except for is necessary later in a sentence, instead of except + noun, when the idea of “all” or “none” is indicated by wording other than a preceding noun or pronoun, e.g.:

(i) The website is perfect except for some access difficulties.

Here, except for links with perfect, an adjective. The idea of “none” is clearly implied because perfect means “has no defects”. Adjectives with such clarity may be quite common before except for (e,g. deserted meaning “without people” and complete meaning “without gaps”). However, adjectives with less clarity also seem possible, e.g. accommodating and uncomfortable.

A problem to guard against with except for is that occasionally it will be not the single multi-word preposition illustrated in (h) but the two separate prepositions except and for acting independently like except and in (e), as in this example:

(j) The average maximum does not exceed 20C except for a few weeks in summer.

Here, for means “throughout” (see 258. Saying How Long Something Lasts). If apart from is used, for would still need to be present.

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OTHER OPTIONS

1. Conjunctions

Two common conjunctions are except that and unless. The former can, like most …that conjunctions, drop that (see 230. Multi-Word Conjunctions), and is replaceable by except for the fact (that) or save (that). It is needed instead of except for when the wording of the exception contains a verb. Compare the following with (i):

(k) The website is perfect except that it gives some access difficulties.

Gives is the verb here necessitating except that instead of except for.

A particularly common type of wording before except that indicates similarity or difference, e.g. (un)like, similar(ity), identical, the same, different and (un)related:

(l) Time is like a river, except that it never ends.

Unless, on the other hand, seems usable only as an alternative to except if or except when¹. Consider this rewording of sentence (c):

(m) An interview will be granted to any applicant unless (= except if) they are a past employee.

There will often be a pronoun after unless (they above), representing the previously-mentioned general class. This is any applicant above (they showing gender neutrality: see the end of 204. Grammatical Agreement). In sentence (b), unless they are would refer to creatures, while in (e) unless it is would refer to plant growth. 

Here is an example of an except when sentence that is easily paraphrased with unless:

(n) Snakes will generally not attack except when they feel threatened.

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2. New-Sentence Expressions

Exceptions can be named in a different sentence from that of their relevant generalization. One way to do so is with only. However, its basic meaning implies that all possible exceptions are being named (see 251. The Grammar of “Only”, #4), thus ruling out selective naming:

(o) Few creatures survive in extreme cold. Only certain micro-organisms do.

(p) Plant growth is surprisingly rapid. Only in winter is it different.

(q) Online shopping INVOLVES little. Choosing and clicking are the only requirements.

Note how (o), unlike (b), begins with few rather than no. I think this is a consequence of the naming of the exception in a new sentence.

An alternative to only is various words derived from except. In (o), for example, Only…do could be replaced by …are exceptions or …are exceptional. The second part of (p) can be rewritten The exception is in winter or Wintertime is exceptional. There are also synonyms of such replacements: exceptional can become unusual or atypical, and is exceptional can become breaks the trend or does not conform.

With exceptional, the context must just imply “breaking the rule” – otherwise the idea of “special” will be present (see 284 Words with a Surprising Meaning, #9). To link exception/s to a noun like this rule / trend / pattern, the preposition must be to, not of (see 35. Words Followed by “to -ing”). 

Another useful option for stating any kind of exception in a new sentence is a “concession” connector like however, yet or nevertheless (see 20. Problem Connectors, #3). Often this will correspond to an except that or except when statement without a new sentence:

(r) Time is like a river. However, (= except that) it never ends.

(s) Snakes will generally not attack. However, they will do so when (= except when) they feel threatened.

Also notable is the use of not all or similar (not every, not always etc.) in the first sentence:

(t) Not all species were destroyed by a meteorite. Crocodiles survive to this day.

Here, the second sentence just names the exception without the use of exception wording. This is common but not compulsory – Crocodiles are an exception is possible above too. Using not all usually implies that the generalization in the first sentence (excluding not) is already known by the addressee.

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¹I am grateful to a reader for pointing out a flaw in a previous sentence about using unless (see comments by “Neo” below).