Beside, Besides
Beside, without the s, tells us the location of something. Besides, on the other hand, means “in addition,” “in addition to,” “moreover,” or “as well,” depending on context.
Beside is a preposition that means next to or at the side of. The preposition beside physically places two nouns side by side.
Though it would sound a little more informal, these sentences would be grammatically identical and consistent in meaning if beside is replaced with next to.
Besides can be used either as a preposition meaning “in addition” or an adverb meaning “moreover,” and it is a little less stiff and formal to use than those two terms.
Because the tone of this sentence is conversational (not like an essay, for example), it would sound stuffy if we replaced besides with its synonym, moreover.
A middle ground might be to use what’s more.
If you do choose to go the less formal route, know that having besides at the beginning of a sentence is perfectly acceptable.
The same holds true when besides is used as in addition. Besides is the more conversational and less formal of the two terms.
“That’s Beside the Point”—How to Use It Beside the point is a common idiom that means “unimportant” or “not relevant to the matter at hand.” Many people incorrectly use besides the point, which is understandable since both besides and beside the point can crop up when a topic is being argued or reasoned through.
No one wants to be guilty of a real crime and a grammar crime when using besides (that is to say, in addition). Use beside instead.
(Description from Grammarly) |