5 exercises — practise describing near-completion and near-certainty with "all but".
0 / 26 completed
1 / 26
Which sentence correctly uses "all but" plus a past participle to mean the migration is almost entirely finished?
"The database migration is all but complete, with only the archival tables left to move" correctly places "all but" directly before the adjective "complete", meaning "almost entirely". Option B wrongly adds "of" after "completed". Option C wrongly inserts "to". Option D wrongly moves "all but" after the adjective.
2 / 26
Which sentence correctly uses "all but" plus a verb to mean an outcome was almost guaranteed?
"The proposal had all but guaranteed itself a majority" correctly keeps the past participle "guaranteed" agreeing with "had", with "all but" inserted before it to mean "almost". Option B wrongly uses the bare form "guarantee". Option C wrongly moves "all but" after the verb. Option D wrongly inserts "to".
3 / 26
Which sentence correctly distinguishes "all but" meaning "almost entirely" from "all but one/two" meaning "every one except"?
"The rollout is all but finished, and all but one region has already received the update" correctly uses "all but" alone before the adjective "finished" (almost entirely), and separately "all but one" before the noun "region" (every one except one). Options B, C, and D all scramble the two distinct constructions together.
4 / 26
Which sentence correctly uses "all but" plus a noun phrase to mean a practice has become almost entirely standard?
"Automated testing has become all but a requirement for any production deployment pipeline" correctly places "all but" directly before the noun phrase "a requirement". Option B misorders the article and noun. Option C moves "all but" too late in the sentence. Option D wrongly inserts "of".
5 / 26
Which sentence correctly uses "all but" plus an adjective to describe a bug that is nearly, but not completely, resolved?
"The memory leak is all but eliminated after the last three patches" correctly places "all but" directly before the past participle "eliminated". Option B wrongly uses the bare form "eliminate". Option C wrongly places "all but" before "is". Option D wrongly moves "all but" after the participle.
6 / 26
During a code review of the new payment processing module, Sarah commented to David: "The integration is all but complete; we just need to address the edge case with international currencies."
The phrase "all but complete" indicates that nearly everything is done. The correct option acknowledges this near-final state, highlighting the remaining small task (international currencies). Options A and C are incorrect because they misinterpret the meaning of 'all but,' while Option B suggests a completely finished product.
7 / 26
In a Slack message to the team regarding the upcoming database migration, Mark wrote: "We've migrated all but the historical data; the remaining records are being archived separately."
'All but' here signifies that nearly everything has been moved. The message accurately describes the situation where the vast majority of historical data is migrated, with a smaller, separate process handling the remaining records. Options A and C are wrong as they indicate ongoing migration or complete replacement, while Option D suggests an insignificant impact.
8 / 26
During a standup meeting, Alex reported: "I've finished implementing the user authentication service; it's all but ready for testing."
'All but ready' signifies that the implementation is nearly finished. This statement correctly indicates readiness for testing without implying a fully polished or optimized product – a common developer phrase. Options A and C represent tasks beyond the immediate state, while Option D is about deployment status.
9 / 26
In a PR description for a new feature that improves API response times, Emily stated: "We've optimized the query execution, and the performance improvements are all but guaranteed to reduce latency."
Using 'all but guaranteed' suggests a high degree of confidence in the improvements. While not absolute certainty (due to potential unforeseen factors), it indicates that the changes are highly likely to reduce latency. Options A and C misrepresent the outcome, while Option D is an entirely negative prediction.
10 / 26
During a code review of the new payment processing module, Sarah commented to David: "The integration is all but complete; we just need to address the edge case with international currencies."
The phrase "all but complete" indicates that nearly everything is done. The correct option acknowledges this near-final state, highlighting the remaining small task (international currencies). Options A and C are incorrect because they misinterpret the meaning of 'all but,' while Option B suggests a completely finished product.
11 / 26
In a Slack message to the team regarding the upcoming database migration, Mark wrote: "We've migrated all but the historical data; the remaining records are being archived separately."
'All but' here signifies that nearly everything has been moved. The message accurately describes the situation where the vast majority of historical data is migrated, with a smaller, separate process handling the remaining records. Options A and C are wrong as they indicate ongoing migration or complete replacement, while Option D suggests an insignificant impact.
12 / 26
During a standup meeting, Alex reported: "I've finished implementing the user authentication service; it's all but ready for testing."
'All but ready' signifies that the implementation is nearly finished. This statement correctly indicates readiness for testing without implying a fully polished or optimized product – a common developer phrase. Options A and C represent tasks beyond the immediate state, while Option D is about deployment status.
13 / 26
In a PR description for a new feature that improves API response times, Emily stated: "We've optimized the query execution, and the performance improvements are all but guaranteed to reduce latency."
Using 'all but guaranteed' suggests a high degree of confidence in the improvements. While not absolute certainty (due to potential unforeseen factors), it indicates that the changes are highly likely to reduce latency. Options A and C misrepresent the outcome, while Option D is an entirely negative prediction.
14 / 26
During a code review of the new payment processing module, Sarah commented to David: "The integration is all but complete; we just need to address the edge case with international currencies."
The phrase "all but complete" indicates that nearly everything is done. The correct option acknowledges this near-final state, highlighting the remaining small task (international currencies). Options A and C are incorrect because they misinterpret the meaning of 'all but,' while Option B suggests a completely finished product.
15 / 26
In a Slack message to the team regarding the upcoming database migration, Mark wrote: "We've migrated all but the historical data; the remaining records are being archived separately."
'All but' here signifies that nearly everything has been moved. The message accurately describes the situation where the vast majority of historical data is migrated, with a smaller, separate process handling the remaining records. Options A and C are wrong as they indicate ongoing migration or complete replacement, while Option D suggests an insignificant impact.
16 / 26
During a standup meeting, Alex reported: "I've finished implementing the user authentication service; it's all but ready for testing."
'All but ready' signifies that the implementation is nearly finished. This statement correctly indicates readiness for testing without implying a fully polished or optimized product – a common developer phrase. Options A and C represent tasks beyond the immediate state, while Option D is about deployment status.
17 / 26
In a PR description for a new feature that improves API response times, Emily stated: "We've optimized the query execution, and the performance improvements are all but guaranteed to reduce latency."
Using 'all but guaranteed' suggests a high degree of confidence in the improvements. While not absolute certainty (due to potential unforeseen factors), it indicates that the changes are highly likely to reduce latency. Options A and C misrepresent the outcome, while Option D is an entirely negative prediction.
18 / 26
During a code review of the new payment processing module, Sarah commented to David: "The integration is all but complete; we just need to address the edge case with international currencies."
The phrase "all but complete" indicates that nearly everything is done. The correct option acknowledges this near-final state, highlighting the remaining small task (international currencies). Options A and C are incorrect because they misinterpret the meaning of 'all but,' while Option B suggests a completely finished product.
19 / 26
In a Slack message to the team regarding the upcoming database migration, Mark wrote: "We've migrated all but the historical data; the remaining records are being archived separately."
'All but' here signifies that nearly everything has been moved. The message accurately describes the situation where the vast majority of historical data is migrated, with a smaller, separate process handling the remaining records. Options A and C are wrong as they indicate ongoing migration or complete replacement, while Option D suggests an insignificant impact.
20 / 26
During a standup meeting, Alex reported: "I've finished implementing the user authentication service; it's all but ready for testing."
'All but ready' signifies that the implementation is nearly finished. This statement correctly indicates readiness for testing without implying a fully polished or optimized product – a common developer phrase. Options A and C represent tasks beyond the immediate state, while Option D is about deployment status.
21 / 26
In a PR description for a new feature that improves API response times, Emily stated: "We've optimized the query execution, and the performance improvements are all but guaranteed to reduce latency."
Using 'all but guaranteed' suggests a high degree of confidence in the improvements. While not absolute certainty (due to potential unforeseen factors), it indicates that the changes are highly likely to reduce latency. Options A and C misrepresent the outcome, while Option D is an entirely negative prediction.
22 / 26
David, during a code review of the new user profile API, remarked: "The schema validation is almost complete; it's all but finished. We just need to implement proper error handling for invalid input.". Which of the following best conveys David's meaning?
David uses 'all but finished' to express that the primary task (schema validation) is nearing completion. The phrase implies that while some minor work remains, the core functionality is largely implemented. Option A is too strong; option C misinterprets the nuance of 'all but'. Option D is completely inaccurate.
23 / 26
Frank announced in a standup meeting: "I've finished the initial implementation of the rate limiting feature; it's all but tested. We just need to add some basic reporting metrics."
'All but tested' indicates that Frank has finished the primary development and is moving towards basic verification. The statement suggests confidence in the initial implementation, with only reporting metrics needing addition – signifying a near-complete state before full validation. Option A implies deployment; option C contradicts the phrase 'all but tested'.
24 / 26
During a sprint planning meeting, Liam said to the team: "We've refactored the core logging module; it's all but replaced the legacy system. We're expecting minimal disruption.". Which of the following best describes Liam's statement?
Liam's statement conveys a high degree of certainty – 'all but' implies near-completion. It doesn't mean it's *perfect*, but he believes the disruption will be minimal. Options A and C are overly optimistic, while option D is premature decommissioning.
25 / 26
In a code review comment on a new microservice, Jessica wrote: "The API endpoint for user data retrieval is all but finalized. We've addressed the most critical performance bottlenecks, but we still need to thoroughly test edge cases with large datasets."
'All but finalized' indicates near-completion. Jessica is appropriately balancing confidence with a recognition of ongoing work. Option A is too strong; option C is overly negative, and D misinterprets her statement.
26 / 26
During a team retrospective, Ben reported: "The automated deployment pipeline is all but operational. We've successfully integrated the build process and initial testing stages, but we're still working on fully automating rollback procedures."
'All but' indicates near completion. Ben correctly highlights that while core functions are in place, certain aspects (rollback procedures) still require attention – this reflects realistic development progress.
What will I practise in ""All But" for Near-Completion and Near-Certainty — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise using "all but" plus an adjective, participle, or noun to mean "almost entirely", distinct from "all but one" meaning "every one except", in status
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 26 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
Is this exercise free to use?
Yes. Every exercise on CoderSlingo, including this one, is free to use with no account, sign-up, or paywall.
Do I need to create an account to do these exercises?
No account is required. Just click an option to answer — your score for this session is tracked automatically in the progress bar above.
What happens if I choose the wrong answer?
You'll immediately see which answer was correct, plus a full explanation covering the grammar rule and reasoning behind it — mistakes are where most of the learning happens.
Can I retry the exercises if I want a higher score?
Yes — use the "Try again" button on the results screen to reset and go through all the questions again.
Is my progress saved if I close the page?
No. Progress is tracked only for your current visit; reloading or leaving the page resets the counter. This keeps the exercise simple and account-free.
Where can I find more Grammar exercises?
Browse the full Grammar hub for related drills, or check the "Next up" link below to continue with a connected topic.
How is this different from reading an article on the same topic?
Articles explain grammar rules in prose; this exercise tests and reinforces those rules through active recall with immediate feedback — the two work best together.
Who writes these exercises?
Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.