Toward/ towards, among/amongst ?

Hi Mina!

I've read that “toward" is supposed to be the preferred American version, but I honestly had to look that up because both sound natural to me.

But then I found this on merriam-webster, which explains why:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/toward-towards-usage

Short answer is pick one and be consistent, and most Americans won’t even notice.

As for the others, I haven’t researched them for "proper" usage but none of those variations would stand out to me. As long as you’re consistent, of course.

Most US writers I edit for go with "toward," but as Coddiwomple said, consistency rules, meaning if you go with toward, then it's backward and forward, not backwards and forwards.

I usually gently suggest changing amongst and amidst to among and amid for US writers. When in Rome . . .

These words are part of my mental word sound list. Whichever 'sounds' right for the job at hand is the one I use.

Among is used in American English more often while amongst is more common in UK English. Amongst has an overly formal connotation in American English. I'd stick with the former for your situation, unless you have a pretentious character, in which case, you can have him/her use it.

As the others have said, toward/towards is a matter of preference. Some sources say "toward" is prefered in the US and Canada, but I haven't checked the usage data myself. It doesn't matter as long as you're consistent.

Use either word in either pair. Just be consistent.

Hi. What time period is your story set? If, for example, it's the eighteenth century--featuring American politicians who'd recently arrived from the U.K.--they might use more formal language, such as "amidst" and "amongst."