1
general::
except
used when saying that a statement does not include a particular person or thing. At the beginning of a sentence, you must use except for , not just except , before a noun:
• The office is open every day except Sundays. • Except for a man walking his dog, the park was empty. • Most of the critics liked the play, except for one critic on the 'Los Angeles Times'. • Except for a few years in the early sixties and seventies, inflation has been a continuing feature of American life since World War II. • The area looks very much like the state of Iowa, except that it is surrounded by beautiful snow-covered mountains. • Except in an emergency, these doors must remain closed.
apart from/aside from
used when mentioning one or two things that do not fit the main thing that you are saying:
• Aside from one or two minor errors, this is an excellent piece of research. • The films were all made in Hollywood, apart from one, which was made in the UK. • The weather was not very good in the first week. Apart from that, it was a good holiday.
excluding/not including
used when saying that something, especially a total number or amount, does not include a particular thing or person. Excluding is more formal than not including:
• The software costs $49.95, not including tax. • Excluding students, the total number of unemployed rose from 2 million to 2.3 million.
with the exception of
formal except for one particular person or thing:
• Denmark has more wind turbines than any other place in the world, with the exception of California. • With the exception of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women.
but
used especially after words such as nothing, all, any, anyone, everything or everyone when saying that something is the only thing, or someone is the only person:
• There is nothing but trees, for mile after mile. • The garment covers everything but the eyes. • All but a few of her family died of the disease.
save
formal used for mentioning the only person or thing which is not included in what you are saying:
• Every man she had ever loved, save her father, was now dead.
Longman-Thesaurus