"Toward" vs. "Towards"

III · Mar 15, 2008

When saying "He walked toward(s) the door" is there a difference betwen toward and towards? Is there a time when one is appropritate and the other is not? I've always used them interchangably.

rugcat · Mar 15, 2008

I think it's a regional thing. Canadians and people from bordering states seem to use towards, while others use toward, although it's not 100 percent that way. I'm not sure about our friends in England.

I used to use towards, but I got tired of copy editors changing it so now I use toward exclusively.

IceCreamEmpress · Mar 15, 2008

Both are fine. Some places have a house-style preference for one over the other. "Toward" is more common in the US; "towards" in the UK and former Commonwealth nations.

The New York Times style is to use "toward" only, and many US publishers and publications follow this lead.

Shanster · Mar 16, 2008

rugcat said:
I think it's a regional thing. Canadians and people from bordering states seem to use towards, while others use toward, although it's not 100 percent that way. I'm not sure about our friends in England.

I used to use towards, but I got tired of copy editors changing it so now I use toward exclusively.

Your friends in England (and Scotland) use 'towards'.

Anyway, I think both are okay. As far as I know, there's no set rule on when to add an 's' to the end.

III · Mar 16, 2008

Thanks for the responses! I'll just stick with "toward" since it sounds like that's the general consensus in the U.S.

DonnaDuck · Mar 17, 2008

While I am American, I think I latched onto to the UK "towards" very quickly and every time I see "toward" in writing it just seems unfinished. While I agree it's just a regional thing, to me "towards" looks better, plus it makes the action seem more active, if that makes any sense. What can I say? I'm a confused American. I actually use "towards" in my own writing.

cmyk · Mar 19, 2008

The (American, though European dual national) editor says: Toward is correct.

Towards is incorrect. Don't use it.

DonnaDuck · Mar 19, 2008

cmyk said:
The (American, though European dual national) editor says: Toward is correct.

Towards is incorrect. Don't use it.

That is, unless you're British.

jst5150 · Mar 19, 2008

Jay, AP Style says 'toward' as well.

DonnaDuck · Mar 19, 2008

jst5150 said:
Jay, AP Style says 'toward' as well.

See, I used the AP arguement in another thread about punctuation. I can't remember just what kind of punctuation but punctuation nonetheless. I think it's was spaces after a period. Regardless, I got the "well AP doesn't matter because we're not journalists" pushback. While I think more editors follow AP than what people think, I still think people see that AP line and automatically think newspapers which is a different medium than fiction writing, obviously.

Tell the Brits that "towards" is wrong and they might disagree with you.

It's just a matter of conversation anyway. It depends on where you're publishing. If you're in Britain, it's towards. In American is toward. If your book is fantabulous enough to gain world-wide recognition, then it'll be "translated" into British English (much like Harry Potter is "translated" into American English) which will read towards. Eh. In the end, though, this is really splitting hairs in the grander scheme of novel-writing, isn't it?

jst5150 · Mar 19, 2008

I know about the pushback. I think those folks are missing the point.

Generally, the first place I'm going to look is the AP Styleguide. And I'll post that answer here. I do this for two reasons. One, AP's widely used and can be applied across a number of mediums; and, two, it's not me giving the answer. It's an accredited source.

And it's a suggested style (more on this in a moment). And a good one.

There's no such thing as "pushback" on whatever style you choose. If someone has a bona fide style guide they refer to (Chicago Manual of Style, et al), then by all means, cite it. My recommendation with ANY advice on AW is to collect all the inputs and then make a decision to go forward. AP is by no means a means to an end, but it does help the process and provide a credible source for style.

If your manuscript has a conistent style (I write almost everything using AP style, including my posts here and email), then it's consistent to the agent, publisher and reviewer. It can be changed easier if need be and you'll know where you're coming from as a foundation for the style.

mirrorkisses · Mar 22, 2008

Not sure if anyone said this already, since I don't feel like reading all the posts, but both are correct. There are preferences by style, but both are completely correct as long as one form is used consistently. My co-workers and I prefer "toward," but we are all aware that neither one is more correct than the other.

http://www.bartleby.com/68/11/6111.html

mirrorkisses · Mar 22, 2008

jst5150 said:
I write almost everything using AP style, including my posts here and email.

It's funny how those things get ingrained.... I write everything in Chicago Style, because it's what we use at work.

DonnaDuck · Mar 22, 2008

Bartleby is a great site. I used it for my linguistic classes in college.

Deleted member 42 · Mar 22, 2008

Lord; this is at least the third thread on toward/towards.

It's a dialect marker; neither is more "correct" than the other--it's an issue of style rather than grammar. The distinction developed in Middle English in terms of Northern vs Southern forms.

Here's the usage note from the sacred American Heritage Dictionary; the OED has a similar one.

USAGE NOTE: Some critics have tried to discern a semantic distinction between toward and towards, but the difference is entirely dialectal. Toward is more common in American English; towards is the predominant form in British English.

veronie · Mar 31, 2008

Medievalist said:
Lord; this is at least the third thread on toward/towards.

It's a dialect marker; neither is more "correct" than the other--it's an issue of style rather than grammar. The distinction developed in Middle English in terms of Northern vs Southern forms.

Here's the usage note from the sacred American Heritage Dictionary; the OED has a similar one.

USAGE NOTE: Some critics have tried to discern a semantic distinction between toward and towards, but the difference is entirely dialectal. Toward is more common in American English; towards is the predominant form in British English.

That's pretty much the final word, and like it was said, this debate has spawned numerous threads. If I may, though, let me add my little argument for "toward" with no "s," and then you go on and do what you feel works for you. Other prepositions do not have an "s" at the end. You don't see "nears," "aboves," "aways," or whatsoever. "Besides" is a special case. Therefore, I drop the "s" from "toward" and other "ward" prepositions.

Upbeat · Apr 25, 2008

...not so risky question - moved to Grammar for Grasshoppers forum

Between 'toward' and 'towards' - which do you prefer?
(Either one of them is correct.)
Most often I read or hear 'towards', although personally I like 'toward'. 'Towards' in a sentence seems awkward.
'Toward' provides a more smooth transition to next words.

dpaterso · Apr 25, 2008

Methinks I saw a similar question asked in Grammar for Grasshoppers forum a short while ago... quick check... yup, thar she blows:

"Toward" vs. "Towards"

It's likely this thread will be renamed to reflect content and moved there, and/or perhaps merged with that thread, unless you have any objections to this AW content police decision?

-Derek

Upbeat · Apr 25, 2008

dpaterso said:
Methinks I saw a similar question asked in Grammar for Grasshoppers forum a short while ago... quick check... yup, thar she blows:

"Toward" vs. "Towards"

It's likely this thread will be renamed to reflect content and moved there, and/or perhaps merged with that thread, unless you have any objections to this AW content police decision?

-Derek

Oops - had not seen that. Do what you think best. Thanks for asking!

Voyager · Apr 25, 2008

I don't say "I moved forwards" so I also don't say, "I moved towards"

Upbeat · Apr 25, 2008

Voyager said:
I don't say "I moved forwards" so I also don't say, "I moved towards"

Right!

Mr Flibble · Apr 25, 2008

Voyager said:
I don't say "I moved forwards" so I also don't say, "I moved towards"

I do

It's a dialect thing I should think, more than anything.

HeronW · Apr 25, 2008

both may be right but I prefer toward.

Matera the Mad · Apr 25, 2008

Mm-hm, I'm with the "toward" bunch, though not adamantly. I think the s-ending reminds me of things like "a ways" and "anywheres" so it has a slight off-taste in my mouth. I let characters say anything they want to, of course

CDarklock · Apr 25, 2008

Toward is a compound word.

You might cast your eyes up-ward, then down-ward, then to-ward [object].

If you wouldn't say "upwards" or "downwards", then don't say "towards".

Well, except about numbers. Your salary is "upwards of" a lower salary, "downwards of" a higher one, and thus theoretically "towards of" a similar one.

Maybe that's an overextended rule.

"Toward" vs. "Towards"

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