を除いて・をのぞいて - Grammar Discussion

except
with the exception of
unless

Structure

  • Noun + を除いては / を除いて / を除き
  • Noun + を除く + Noun

[More formal version of 以外]
[Often found in formal writing, street signs, etc.]

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I have a question about this grammar point. How is を除く different from the other forms except the fact that it requires a noun afterwards?

Thanks!

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@AlchEmi16

Hey and welcome on the community forums! :cowboy_hat_face:

を除く is an attributive form, which is used to modify nouns. (by the way, it is also used at the end of the sentence)

税率を引き下げる製品:
・アルコール類を除く飲料
・something something
・something something

を除いて is de-facto て form, so it connects clauses (parts of the sentence)

を除いては is を除いて with topic/contrast marking particle は.
(example 女風呂に男の子を除いては女性しか入らない。In here, only boys (contrasted with all other kinds of men, like teenagers, adult men, old men) are allowed to enter the women’s bath. )

を除き is similar to を除いて, but it is more formal since it uses conjunctive form (stem).

I hope it helps!
Cheers! :+1:

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Hello and thanks for the explanation, however I will expand on my question a bit using the example sentences you provide on this point’s page.

エウロパを除いて、これらすべての世界が人間に属しています。

一部の作業を除くほとんどがオートメーション化している。

動物園にいるものを除くすべてのライオンはアフリカに住んでいる。

For instance why is を除く used in the 2nd and 3rd sentence and not the first?

Cheers!

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@AlchEmi16
To be honest, を除く is also natural in the first example, so we have used the comma, to hint that the noun phrase これらすべての世界 is not directly modified by エウロパを.

Also, in 2 and 3 both - を除く、 を除いて can be used and the difference would be that with を除く the noun would be modified, while を除いて works like a conjunction. This is fairly hard to translate,

(Phrases below sounds formal, normally you would use 以外)
ドミニクを除くすべて誘った。
I have invited everybody except Dominic.
寝ている場合を除いてドミニクはいつも怒っている。
Dominic is always angry except when he sleeps.

But:
ドミニクを除いてすべて誘った。
寝ている場合を除くドミニクはいつも怒っている。
are also correct in Japanese, but it’s hard to express the same in English.

I will change translations of all sentences with the modified noun to “exclude/excluding”, so it will capture the spirit of Japanese a bit better.

I hope it helps,
Cheers!

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Hello,

Thanks again for the explanations. It’s somewhat clearer now.

Cheers!

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There is only one example with the “unless” translation and is guaranteed to be forgotten when it appears in review like it did for me just now…
Maybe another grammar point or smth for this case?

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~を除けば should probably be in the list of alternatives.

This is re the sentence:
警察は捜索状を持っている場合を除いては、家を捜索することができなせん。
Police cannot enter a building unless they have a search warrant.

I entered:
警察は捜索状を持っている場合でないことには、家を捜索することができなせん。

Can you please explain why the grammar point (で)ないことに won’t work here for “unless”?

Thank you in advance!
よろしくお願いいたします!