Using 除了 (chúle)…… 以外 (yǐwài) will help you spruce up your sentences when you want to express "except", "besides", and "in addition".
Expressing "except"
Structure
"除了... (以外), 都..." (chúle... (yǐwài), dōu...) is a pattern used to express "except."
除了+noun phrase +(以外)+noun phrase+都+verb
"除了... (以外), 都..." (chúle... (yǐwài), dōu...) is a pattern used to express "except."
Examples
Chú le mā mɑ yǐ wài , wǒ men quán jiā dōu qù xiānɡ ɡǎnɡ .
除了 妈妈 以外,我们 全家 都 去 香港。
除了 妈妈 以外,我们 全家 都 去 香港。
Except for mother, the whole family went to Hong Kong.
The pattern can also be used to mean "in addition". An important note is that either 除了 or 以外 can be omitted from the sentence without losing its meaning.
Expressing "in addition"
Structure
"除了... (以外), 也/还..." (chúle... (yǐwài), yě/hái...) is a pattern used to express "in addition."
Examples
Chú le niú ròu yǐ wài , tā yě hěn xǐ huɑn chī jī ròu.
除了 牛肉 以外 ,她 也 很喜欢 吃 鸡肉。
除了 牛肉 以外 ,她 也 很喜欢 吃 鸡肉。
In addition to beef, she also likes to chicken.