3

I stumbled upon a phrase on the internet the grammar of which I can't understand.

Except as being a bit too conservative and Republican-Lite, don't you think XXX is one of the best President?

It was written by a native speaker, so it's most likely that it's just me who can't grasp the meaning of the sentence, not a grammatical mistake in it. Why is except as being used here? Wouldn't except being be fine?

2
  • 3
    It should be "except for being"; I don't know why there's an "as" there. Apr 10, 2012 at 3:04
  • So, the above-mentioned phrase is ungrammatical?
    – Desert
    Apr 10, 2012 at 3:06

2 Answers 2

5

While I agree with @andrewdotnich that I'd probably write either 'except for being' or 'apart from being' before writing 'except as being', it is by all means grammatical. This NGram: enter image description here shows that except as being was used quite frequently in the 1800's and was overtaken by "except for being" around the turn of the century.

2
  • except as being is grammatical, but seems to be used in other ways besides OP's sentence. Can you cite an instance where it is used as OP cites it?
    – zpletan
    Apr 10, 2012 at 15:01
  • @zpletan: I think a lot of the instances that show up there are used similarly to OPs usage. I consider any usage where substitution of either "apart from" or "except for" does not change the meaning to be OP's usage. For example
    – Jim
    Apr 10, 2012 at 15:20
2

The phrase as you posted is ungrammatical. A better choice of preposition would be 'for':

"Except for being…"

or even better,

"Apart from being…"

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.