282
Chapter 36
Exception
36.1 Exception in Arabic: (^) ًأ ِْلا ْس ِتـ ْثـ َنا ُء
The following are the four most common words or particles used in
the sense ‘except (for), excepting, with the exception of, apart from,
excluding, barring’:
An exceptive sentence contains the following four central elements:
(a) the predicate, expressing the action or situation to which the
exception refers;
(b) the first noun, َأْلـ ُم ْس َتـ ْث َ نى ِم ْن ُه, i.e. (the set) from which the excep-
tion is made;
(c) the subtractive or exceptive particle, َأ َدا ُة ِْلا ْس ِتـ ْث َنا ِء;
(d) the second noun, َأْلـ ُم ْس َتـ ْث َنى, i.e. the excepted or excluded
member.
36.2 The particle لاَّ ِإ
illa ̄, is most commonly used. It takes the following
noun in any of the three cases as follows:
(a) لاَّ ِإ
illa ̄, in a positive sentence
In a positive sentence the second noun that follows لاَّ ِإ is in the
accusative case, e.g.
لاَّ ِإ َغ ْي ٌر ِس َوى ) َما َع َ دا( َع َدا
illa ̄ g ̇ayrun siwa ̄
ada ̄ (ma ̄
ada ̄)