Thank you very much to Katrina in Romania for this question.

 What is the
difference between BESIDE and BESIDES? Actually there's a big
difference, even though the spelling is nearly the same!

BESIDE is always used as a preposition, so it is always followed by a noun

or a gerund.
It can mean NEXT TO and COMPARED TO.

Examples:
1. I sat beside Brendan on the bus. (= I sat next to Brendan on the bus.)
2. The health benefits of jogging seem more important beside the risk of
injury. (= compared to the risk of injury.)

BESIDES, with the letter S at the end, can be used as a preposition or as

a linking adverb, in other words, an adverb that links 2 ideas or introduces
an adverbial clause.

As a PREPOSITION, it has 2 meanings:

1.  EXCEPT or APART FROM
2.IN ADDITION TO or AS WELL AS

Examples:
3. There is nobody here besides me. (=  except me / apart from me)
4. Besides English, he speaks Portuguese, Arabic and Russian. (= In
addition to / As well as English, he also speaks Portuguese, Arabic and
Russian)

As an  ADVERB, we use BESIDES for ADDING ADDITIONAL

INFORMATION.

Examples:
5. I don’t want to run there, and besides, it is too hot for running today.
(note: the additional information is that it too hot for running today.)
6. It’s too far to walk there. Besides, it is raining. (note: we always put a
comma after BESIDES when it comes before the additional information.)
7. He can cook cakes, casseroles and a lot more besides.

Now, write your own sentences using BESIDE and BESIDES, and try to
make them true to your own life, as this will help you to remember them
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