"besides" vs "except for" vs "apart from"

[subhajit123]

Hi there, Can I use except for and besides and apart from interchangeably?


Here are the examples:

• Except for this, There are four (other) ways to solve this problem.

One more question, should I use other there? I think it means "There are four other ways to solve this problem than this." so I should not use other here.

• Apart from this, There are four (other) ways to solve this problem.

In the above, I have used apart from as a synonym of "other than" and except for so I think I need not use other here too.

• Besides this, There are four (other) ways to solve this problem.

I think here I should use other here.

• Apart from this, There are also four (other) ways to solve this problem.

Apart from is also a synonym of besides so I think I can use it in the above way too.


What do you think?

 

[Raymott]

Yes, you might be able to find a sentence in which you can plug in any of those phrases, but like almost all phrases, they are not generally interchangeable.
Your first example - "Except for this, there are four ways to solve this problem" - is wrong. "Except for this" means that "this" is not a way to solve the problem. "These are all ways to solve the problem - except for this."
You can use 'other' in that situation if you want to.

"Besides Mary, I'm inviting all the girls in the house." You are inviting Mary.
"Apart from Mary, I'm inviting all the girls in the house." You're not inviting Mary.
"Except for Mary, I'm inviting...." You're not inviting Mary.

 

[subhajit123]

Thank you. Can I interchange except for, apart from other than and besides in the following sentence?

- Other than me/except for me/besides me/apart from me there are 59 workers in the factory.

 

[subhajit123]

Yes, you might be able to find a sentence in which you can plug in any of those phrases, but like almost all phrases, they are not generally interchangeable.
Your first example - "Except for this, there are four ways to solve this problem" - is wrong. "Except for this" means that "this" is not a way to solve the problem. "These are all ways to solve the problem - except for this."
You can use 'other' in that situation if you want to.

"Besides Mary, I'm inviting all the girls in the house." You are inviting Mary.
"Apart from Mary, I'm inviting all the girls in the house." You're not inviting Mary.
"Except for Mary, I'm inviting...." You're not inviting Mary.

And if I add also in the sentence "Apart from Mary, I'm also inviting all the girls in the house.", does it mean "besides Mary I'm........."?

 

[Raymott]

And if I add also in the sentence "Apart from Mary, I'm also inviting all the girls in the house.", does it mean "besides Mary I'm........."?

It's unnatural. I'd suggest you find phrases that you understand to have an unequivocal meaning and use them. In this case, you'd probably say, "As well as Mary, I'm also inviting all the other girls in the house."

 

[subhajit123]

Thank you. Can I interchange except for, apart from other than and besides in the following sentence?

- Other than me/except for me/besides me/apart from me there are 59 workers in the factory.

Do all of the above mean the same? Are they all grammatical?