barring few exceptions

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "barring few exceptions" is correct and can be used in written English.
It means "excluding a small number of cases." Example: Barring few exceptions, all students are required to wear uniforms to school.

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Most of the lipophilic molecules cannot cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) by free diffusion barring few exceptions.

Cancer Nanotechnology

At subsequent diameters, satisfactory actual traverse ratios were obtained those are derived from nominal traverse with Y value lying between 30 and 45 barring few exceptions.

Fashion and Textiles

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Yet, in Europe, barring a few exceptions such as Norway, women lack representation on boards.

Harvard Business Review

Barring a few exceptions, we invariably turned in less than convincing displays, even conceding our fair share of goals along the way.

The Guardian - Sport

(Barring a few exceptions, such as Trump and Michael Bloomberg, the plutocrats don't usually get involved in the actual business of governing). Kavanaugh's mother was a district-court judge in Montgomery County, Maryland.

The New Yorker

Barring a few exceptions where Trijata is cast as Ravana's agent, she is generally portrayed as a friend and loyal companion of Sita in her adversity.

Wikipedia

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan — Barring a few exceptions, the outlook for LGBT individuals in the Middle East can be bleak, or even outright deadly.

Huffington Post

Before that, depictions of bloody periods didn't usually make it to TV, barring a few exceptions from "Degrassi," "Mad Men," and "Broad City".

Huffington Post

The N50 in our assembly was found to be 1,353 bases, which was higher than most other plant transcriptome assemblies published, barring a few exceptions (Table 2).

BMC Genomics

Now, the exports of all major agricultural commodities, barring a few exceptions such as cotton, onion and niger seeds, have been liberalized.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Thus, barring very few exceptions, the main tendency in prokaryotes is a wide variability in the number of proteins with β-GF domains rather than any concerted increase in architectural complexity.

Biology Direct

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "barring few exceptions" to introduce a general statement or rule while acknowledging that there are a small number of cases where the statement does not apply. This adds nuance and precision to your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "barring few exceptions" excessively, as it can weaken your argument if the exceptions become more significant than the rule itself. Also, be mindful of providing context or examples for the exceptions if they are not obvious to the reader.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "barring few exceptions" acts as a prepositional phrase that modifies a clause, setting a condition under which the clause is generally true. It indicates that a statement holds true except for a small number of infrequent cases, as confirmed by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

30%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

30%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "barring few exceptions" is a grammatically sound and commonly used expression to acknowledge deviations from a general rule, as confirmed by Ludwig AI. It effectively qualifies statements with a nuance of precision and is frequently found in science, news, and formal business contexts. While it's important to avoid overuse and vagueness, employing the phrase correctly can significantly improve the accuracy and clarity of your writing. Consider alternatives such as "with limited exceptions" or "except for a handful of cases" for variety. As Ludwig's examples demonstrate, "barring few exceptions" is a versatile tool for expressing conditional truths.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

other than a few

A simple and direct alternative, appropriate for general use.

with limited exceptions

Focuses on the limitations of the exceptions rather than the act of excluding.

with rare exceptions

Stresses the infrequency of exceptions.

except for a handful of cases

Emphasizes the small quantity of exceptions with a more informal tone.

excepting a small number

Focuses on the action of excepting.

excluding some instances

Highlights the exclusion aspect, applicable when detailing a rule with noted deviations.

outside of a couple of instances

Uses a more colloquial tone to express the concept of excluding only a few cases.

save for several exclusions

Formal way of describing exceptions, useful in contexts like legal or policy documents.

apart from a small number

Changes sentence structure, slightly altering the emphasis from the exceptions themselves to the overall count.

aside from some infrequent occurrences

Describes both the exclusion and the uncommon nature of exceptions.

FAQs

How can I use "barring few exceptions" in a sentence?

Use "barring few exceptions" to indicate that a general rule or statement holds true in most cases, but there are some infrequent exceptions. For example: "Barring few exceptions, the new policy will apply to all employees."

What does "barring few exceptions" mean?

"Barring few exceptions" means that almost everything follows a certain rule or pattern, but there are a small number of cases that do not.

What are some alternatives to "barring few exceptions"?

Alternatives include "with limited exceptions", "except for a handful of cases", or "with rare exceptions".

Is "barring a few exceptions" grammatically different from "barring few exceptions"?

While both phrases are used to indicate that a statement is generally true with some exceptions, "barring a few exceptions" is slightly more common and may sound more natural to some speakers. The meaning remains essentially the same.