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Did you know?
The word 'besides' as a preposition can mean either "in addition to" or "except for".
1- When used to mean "in addition to", "besides" indicates that something is being added to a list of other things mentioned.
For example:
1a- Besides the cake, they also served ice cream and cookies at the party.
(They served cake + ice cream + cookies.)
1b- Besides English, she speaks Spanish and French.
(She speaks three languages: English + Spanish+ French.)
1c- Besides running, she enjoys swimming and cycling.
(In addition to running, she also enjoys swimming and cycling.)
2- When used to mean "except for", "besides" indicates that something is the only thing that applies, aside from the thing being mentioned.
For example:
2a- Besides her sister, no one else attended the wedding.
(ONLY her sister attended the meeting.)
2b- I've got no family besides my parents.
(His family is not bigger than a father and a mother.)
2c- There's nothing left to do besides finish the report."
(Except for finishing the report, there's nothing else to do.)
In these examples, you can see how 'besides' shifts its meaning based on context—either adding to something or excluding everything else except one thing.
The first meaning implies inclusion, while the second can imply exclusion or limitation.
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