except for choosing

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "except for choosing" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that all options or actions are included except for the act of choosing. Example: "Everyone contributed to the project, except for choosing the final design, which was left to the team leader."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

But that can be frustrating for people who thought they had done everything right, except for choosing a higher-paying profession.

The New York Times

This can be seen in Table 1, showing some observed under the same conditions as above except for choosing different lattice constants.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

"Except for choosing the font and paying the bills, they have just about done it all," Case said in an email to The Huffington Post.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Not that the performers were at fault (except for having chosen the piece in the first place).

The New York Times - Arts

Meanwhile (yes, O.K., except for Geraldine Ferraro, chosen in 1984 to help Walter Mondale, a good and extremely white man, lose to Ronald Reagan) the world's most important group shot remained four white men in suits until Aug. 29, when John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate.

The New York Times

People are struggling to stay valuable in a changing world, and innovation is not helping them, except for the chosen few.

TechCrunch

What reader of the Bible hasn't noticed that, already by the sixth chapter, God's anger rises to the level of drowning every living creature in the world except for one chosen family (Noah's)?

Huffington Post

Eventually three of Hemings' four surviving children, except for Madison, chose to identify as white adults in the North; they were seven-eighths European in ancestry and this was consistent with their appearance.

Wikipedia

To determine which SNPs or combinations of SNPs were responsible for this variation, we predicted protein-coding genes in 500 intermediate genomes, each identical except for randomly chosen alleles at each SNP position.

Plosone

However, analysts need to remain mindful that this perfect reproducibility is a result of the programs (except for Latent Gold) choosing an arbitrary but fixed seed point to start their analyses, and that random seed points would in some instances result in different solutions when re-running a model.

BMC Medical Research Methodology

Except for the LNA chosen for its highly linear operation, it is not affected by nonlinearity of any receiver hardware component and, therefore, is comparable to detector A discussed in Section 2.6.

EURASIP Journal on Embedded Systems

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "except for choosing", ensure the context clearly defines what the act of choosing refers to. This avoids ambiguity and clarifies the scope of the exception.

Common error

Avoid using "except for choosing" when the exclusion is broader than just the act of choosing. If other related actions are also excluded, a more general phrase like "except for the selection process" might be more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "except for choosing" functions as a prepositional phrase that modifies a clause or noun phrase by specifying an exception. It limits the scope of what is being described by excluding the action of making a choice. As stated by Ludwig AI, the phrase is correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Wiki

11%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "except for choosing" is a grammatically sound and usable prepositional phrase that indicates an exclusion related to the action of making a choice. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness, though its frequency is considered rare based on the limited examples found. Its neutral register allows for use in various contexts, particularly in news and science. To enhance clarity, ensure the context clearly defines the referent of "choosing" and that the exclusion's scope is precise. Consider alternatives like "excluding the selection of" for emphasis on selection, or "aside from selecting" for a broader scope. Remember that this expression is more tailored to the action of choosing and not necessarily the selection process in itself.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

excluding the selection of

Focuses on the exclusion of 'selection' specifically, rather than the broader 'choosing'.

aside from the choice of

Uses 'aside from' to indicate exclusion, emphasizing the act of 'choice'.

excluding the option to select

Highlights the exclusion of having the option to 'select'.

apart from picking

Employs 'apart from' with the more informal term 'picking'.

with the exception of selecting

Uses 'with the exception of' for a more formal exclusion of 'selecting'.

but not when selecting

This is a more concise way of stating the exception, focusing on when 'selecting' occurs.

save for choosing

Utilizes 'save for' as a less common way to express the exception.

other than the act of choosing

Rephrases to specify 'the act of choosing' as what is excluded.

not including the decision to choose

Emphasizes the exclusion of 'the decision' itself.

omitting the selection process

Focuses on omitting 'the selection process' as a whole.

FAQs

What does "except for choosing" mean?

The phrase "except for choosing" means that everything else is included or considered apart from the specific act of making a choice. It highlights a particular action being excluded from a more general context.

How can I use "except for choosing" in a sentence?

You can use it to specify an exclusion. For example: "Everyone participated in the project, "except for choosing" the color scheme."

Are there more formal alternatives to "except for choosing"?

Yes, you could use phrases like "with the exception of selecting", or "excluding the selection of" for a more formal tone.

What's the difference between "except for choosing" and "aside from selecting"?

While both phrases indicate an exclusion, ""except for choosing"" generally emphasizes the act of making a choice, while "aside from selecting" focuses more on the selection process itself.