- in addition to somebody/something; apart from somebody/something
- We have lots of things in common besides music.
- Besides working as a doctor, he also writes novels in his spare time.
- I've got no family besides my parents.
- I’ve got plenty of other things to do besides talking to you.
Which Word? besides / apart from / exceptbesides / apart from / except- The preposition besides means ‘in addition to’:
- What other sports do you like besides football?
- I like all sports except football.
- What other sports do you like apart from football?
- I like all sports apart from football.
Language Bank exceptexceptMaking an exception- She wrote all of the songs on the album except for the final track.
- Apart from/aside from the final track, all of the songs on the album were written by her.
- The songwriting—with a few minor exceptions—is of a very high quality.
- With only one or two exceptions, the songwriting is of a very high quality.
- The majority of the compositions are less than three minutes long, with the notable exception of the title track.
- With the exception of the title track, this album is a huge disappointment.
- Here is a list of all the band’s CDs, excluding unofficial ‘bootleg’ recordings.
Which Word? beside / besidesbeside / besides- The preposition beside usually means ‘next to something/somebody’ or ‘at the side of something/somebody’:
- Sit here beside me.
- What other sports do you play besides hockey?
- The adverb besides is not usually used on its own with the same meaning as the preposition. It is mainly used to give another reason or argument for something:
- I don’t think I’ll come on Saturday. I have a lot of work to do. Besides, I don’t really like parties.
- She likes football. Besides, she likes tennis and basketball.
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