everyone except for

USAGE SUMMARY

"everyone except for" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it in situations when you want to single out one person from a group of people. For example: "Everyone except for Linda went to the party."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

56 human-written examples

Everyone, except for most of the skaters".

The New York Times - Sports

This is a gift for everyone except for you.

The Guardian - Sport

And there's something in the jobs report for everyone, except for the economy's 13m unemployed workers.

The Economist

On the sixth floor, everyone except for Mr. Wallace and me got off.

The New York Times

That would make everyone — except for nutritionists and librarians and some other well-intentioned outliers — happy.

The New Yorker

I think we'd got pretty much everyone except for the main character.

The Guardian - Film

This means pretty much everyone, except for Shohreh and a few of her friends.

The New York Times - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

4 human-written examples

I'm happy to say that everyone was wrong--the TV and music executives, the television critics and me--everyone except for the American public.

HuffPost

Oddly for yoga, everyone - except for the teacher and me - keeps their socks on.

The Guardian - Travel

Competitive vigor, we're told, will end bureaucratic sloth; costs will go down, and everyone -- except for a handful of overpaid union members -- will be better off.

The New York Times

That would make everyone except for nutritionists and librarians and some other well-intentioned outliers happy.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always double-check the subject-verb agreement. Even though "everyone" is used, the verb should agree with the singular subject.

Common error

Avoid using a plural verb with "everyone" in the main clause. "Everyone" is singular and requires a singular verb, even when followed by "except for" and a plural noun. For example, it is correct to say "Everyone except for the students is going" not "are going".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "everyone except for" functions as a prepositional phrase that modifies a noun or pronoun, specifying an exclusion from a larger group. This is supported by the Ludwig examples, where the phrase consistently serves to single out specific individuals or groups from a broader set.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

72%

Science

13%

Wiki

6%

Less common in

Academia

3%

Reference

2%

Formal & Business

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "everyone except for" is a grammatically sound and frequently used prepositional phrase that serves to specify exclusions within a group. As confirmed by Ludwig, it's suitable for a variety of contexts, although most commonly found in news and media. When using this phrase, it is important to maintain subject-verb agreement and ensure clarity in defining the group from which the exception is made. Consider alternatives like "everyone but" or "everyone with the exception of" to tailor your writing style.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

everybody except for

Synonymous, replacing "everyone" with "everybody" for a more informal tone.

all except for

A more concise alternative, omitting "everyone" for brevity.

everyone with the exception of

A more formal and explicit way to express the exception.

everyone but

A shorter, more colloquial alternative using "but" to indicate the exception.

nobody but

Similar, focuses on who is not included rather than who is.

excluding

Highlights the exclusion directly, often followed by a specific name.

apart from

British English alternative with the same meaning as "except for".

aside from

American English alternative similar to "apart from".

save for

A slightly more formal and less common alternative.

with the omission of

A more verbose and formal way of stating an exception.

FAQs

How do I use "everyone except for" in a sentence?

Use "everyone except for" to indicate that all members of a group are included, excluding a specific individual or subgroup. For example, "Everyone except for John is invited to the party."

What's a more formal alternative to "everyone except for"?

A more formal alternative is "everyone with the exception of", which provides a more explicit way to express the exception.

Is there a shorter way to say "everyone except for"?

Yes, you can use "everyone but" as a shorter and more colloquial alternative.

What's the difference between "everyone except for" and "all except for"?

While both phrases indicate an exclusion, "everyone except for" specifically refers to people, whereas "all except for" can refer to objects or people. The choice depends on the context.