' except ' Vs ' except for '

[EMHM]

Hi,

being in technical environment, some terms are used interchangeably without any rules, for example, ' except ' and ' except for ' are used without any rules, except for the user decision (Or that's what I feel), so, is there any rule that says clearly when to use ' except ' and when to use ' except for ‘?

Regards.

 

[Raymott]

I can't think of any rules. But at the beginning of a sentence I'd always use 'for'.
"You all need to come except Michael." You can use 'for' here.
"Except for Michael, you all need to come." I wouldn't omit 'for' here.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, EMHM:

Some years back, usingenglish.com had a member whose user name was lauralie2. She was a teacher. She taught us something that I have never forgotten. I am delighted to share it with you.

1. "All countries signed except the United States."

a. Lauralie says that since the USA = a country, we "can" omit "for."

2. "We (students) all went to the Great Wall except Zhou."

a. Lauralie says that since Zhou = a student, we "can" ....

3. "We all had a wonderful time except for the bad weather."

a. Lauralie says that "we" does NOT = "bad weather." So we should use "for."

4. "At night, the street was deserted (of vehicles) except for a truck or two."

a. Lauralie says that "street" does NOT = a vehicle. So ...

*****

She reminds us that there are always some exceptions.

5. "There were no cars on the street except (for) a small white one."

a. You have a choice here because of the word "there."