Conjunctions play a crucial role in expressing exceptions within sentences by introducing conditions or circumstances that deviate from the norm. Here is how conjunctions like “unless,” “except that,” and “but” are used to signal exceptions:

1. “Unless”: This conjunction introduces an exception condition that must be met for a certain outcome to occur. For example, “I will go to the beach unless it rains.” In this case, the exception is that the person will not go to the beach if it rains.

2. “Except that”: This conjunction is used to highlight an exclusion or exception within a statement. For instance, “All the books were interesting, except that one.” Here, the exception is that one book was not interesting.

3. “But”: While “but” is commonly used to introduce contrasting ideas, it can also signal exceptions by presenting a contrasting situation. For example, “She works hard, but she never receives recognition.” The exception here is that despite working hard, the person does not get recognized.

By using these conjunctions effectively, writers can clearly communicate exceptions to general statements, thereby modifying the sentence’s meaning to account for specific conditions or exclusions.