toward or towards 1

[Dimandja]

Which is it?

 

[columb]

dictionary.com has them as synonyms. I know that there are times when I would use one rather than the other but with no better reason than the rhythm of the prose. I'm sure someone out there has a better reason than that.

Columb Healy
Living with a seeker after the truth is infinitely preferable to living with one who thinks they've found it.

 

[ESquared]

Ever since I learned that anyway is correct, not anyways, I have been using the non-s version of similar words such as toward. Whether that makes sense or not, it has a certain consistency that I like. There is at least one other word that I can't remember at the moment where the s seems to be optional.

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It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

 

[Stella740pl]

ESquared,

Whether that makes sense or not, it has a certain consistency that I like.
It doesn't seem any more consistent to me than to write "scissors" or "shears" without "s" at the end because "yellow" doesn't have it.

Those words happen to be different parts of speech, have different meaning, usage and roots; so what does one have to do with the other?

"Anyway" is an adverb, and "toward(s)" is a preposition. My Webster’s dictionary 1987 edition that I inherited with my desk at work shows that both, "toward" and "towards" are correct.

"Anyway" doesn't have "s" at the end because it's former "any way", and I didn't have to learn that "that anyway is correct, not anyways". I always knew it. Maybe it's because I'm a non-native English speaker, and learned the "correct" (well, to a point) language before I heard any slang.

Stella

 

[SkipVought]

I feel that it is untoward to append an s to toward.

Skip,
[sub]
[red]Be advised:[/red] It's been reported that a wee psychic is roaming the countryside.
Small Medium @ Large! [/sub]

 

[Stella740pl]

Well since both appear to be correct, I would go with choosing one according to the "rhythm of the prose".

 

[ESquared]

Whether they have anything to do with each other except in the recesses of my own mind, I know not! But when given the option for a word to be used with an ess or without, I have chosen without.

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

 

[sleipnir214]

I performed a Google search using the term:

"style guide" toward towards


All of the pages returned have contain the text:

toward, never towards
or
toward, (not towards)

nearly all of them with no further explanation.

The University of Colorado at Boulder Style Guide and the World Bank Style Guide both say that towards is British usage.




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[Stella740pl]

sleipnir214,

And I performed a Google search using words
grammar toward towards,

and the results were not all as much biased.

Look at this:

Toward and towards are also helpful prepositions to express movement. These are simply variant spellings of the same word; use whichever sounds better to you.
   * We're moving toward the light.
   * This is a big step towards the project's completion.

http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/prepositions.htm

These two words are interchangeable, but "toward" is more common in the U.S. and "towards" in the U.K.

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/toward.html

Now, ESquared, that's what I would call consistency:

Toward(s), forward(s), backward(s)? 
Patricia O'Conner, author of Woe Is I, says, "No final s ("towards"), although that's how they say it in Britain, Similarly, in American English, standard practice is not to add a final s to forward, backward, upward, onward, downward, and so on. George and Kramer were last seen heading toward the buffet" (116-117).

http://www.drgrammar.org/faqs/#81

What about towards and toward? One of my own students was worried that there might be similar pitfalls in store for her when using these prepositions. Well, I can re-assure all of you that these prepositions can be used quite interchangeably and that there is no difference in meaning. The only slight difference in usage is that toward is perhaps more characteristic of American English and towards more usual in British English. Toward or towards means 'in the direction of': 
   * "Can you see that light over there?" 
   * "I think it's coming towards us." 
   * "There are always more mosquitoes in the air toward evening. Have you noticed?"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv66.shtml

1.	Wrong/missing preposition.
Occasionally prepositions will throw you. Consider, for example which is better: "different from," or "different than?" Though both are used widely, "different from" is considered grammatically correct. The same debate surrounds the words "toward" and "towards." Though both are used, "toward" is preferred in writing. When in doubt, check a handbook.

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/resources/student/ac_paper/grammar.html

toward or towards, preposition. 
The former is more common in American English, the latter in British English. But both are proper: "Both words are commonly used in the U.S." (M-W)

http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/glossary.html

This one even suggests difference in meaning/usage:

Toward (or Towards)
    1. In the direction of:  We walked toward the center of town.
    2. Near; just before (time):  It rained towards evening.

http://www.fortunecity.com/bally/durrus/153/gramch26.html

 

[ESquared]

forward, backward, upward, onward, downward..

Thanks! More words that I also in fact prefer to not use an ess with. For some reason the ess seems superfluous to me, like preventive vs. preventative (you can probably guess which I like better).

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

 

[Dimandja]

Sure, one can use preventative.

- "Yo! Howz going?"
- "Ya got some of that preventative medicine?"

 

[sleipnir214]

stella740pl:
You must keep in mind that dictionaries record how people are using a word. A style guide describes the way someone prefers that you use that word.

Although dictionaries record that toward and towards seem to be used interchangeably, the preference appears to me to be toward dropping the s.


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[SkipVought]

...which is why I formerly stated,

I feel that it is untoward to append an s to toward.

Skip,
[sub]
[red]Be advised:[/red] It's been reported that a wee psychic is roaming the countryside.
Small Medium @ Large! [/sub]

 

[Stella740pl]

sleipnir214,

You must keep in mind that dictionaries record how people are using a word.

Well, they didn't record anyways !

And take a look, some of the links I posted are not dictionaries, but grammar guides for students and general public. Some of them saying that both are proper and not considered a mistake, unlike anyways. Although I agree, that general preference in the USA seem to lean more toward dropping the "s", it doesn't make the other one incorrect. Just, as one of the guides I didn't post here noticed, it makes sense to lean toward the shorter one.

 

[AnotherHiggins]

Skip,

You are a punny guy!

Don’t anyone encourage Skip, he’s an incorrigible punster!


My name is John, and I approved this post.

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[sleipnir214]

stells740pl:
I have made no statement that either of toward or towards is valid or invalid.

I am merely saying that, at least in the U.S., if one were to use toward, you have the best chance that your listener or reader would agree that the usage was correct.



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[SkipVought]

I AM A PUNSTER!

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PUNSTER!

I HAVE NEVER WAVERED AS A PUNSTER!

I AM CONSISTENT IN MY PUNSTERING!

IF I AM ELECTED, I WILL PUN AT EVERY OCCASION!

I WILL NEVER FAIL TO PUN!

WHEN ANYONE O-PUNS AN OPPORTUNITY, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME TO PUN-TIFICATE.

[sub]I feel better now, John.[/sub]

Skip,
[sub]
[red]Be advised:[/red] It's been reported that a wee psychic is roaming the countryside.
Small Medium @ Large! [/sub]

 

[chrs]

I have always used "toward"

 

[Dimandja]

Amid, amidst?
Among, amongst?

 

[columb]

Looking at the number of these alternatives are we seeing examples of spellings changing with time. Bill Bryson gives examples of gaol -> jail and programme -> program. Has anyone any sufficiently old dictionaries to give a historical perspective?

Columb Healy
Living with a seeker after the truth is infinitely preferable to living with one who thinks they've found it.