Toward vs. Towards
Have you ever wondered which is correct-toward or towards? Or even forward and forwards? Or, how about backward and backwards? Sometimes, there are varying forms of a word-even though the two forms mean the exact same thing-but it is hard to discern which is considered to be correct, or more formal. We can take a closer look at toward and towards, which will help us to understand how to use many words ending in "ward" correctly.
Toward and towards are prepositions that mean to move in the direction of or to act in relation to something or someone. Both forms are used interchangeably in our everyday speech and writing.
1. To get to the theater, you travel toward downtown, but turn left on Market Street.
2. Please walk toward the front of the stage to say your lines.
3. Pamela was angry toward Jean because Jean would not let her borrow a pencil in class.
All of these sentences can also be written or stated with towards.
1. To get to the theater, you travel towards downtown, but turn left on Market Street.
2. Please walk towards the front of the stage to say your lines.
3. Pamela was angry towards Jean because Jean would not let her borrow a pencil in class.
So, which form is more correct or more formal? The answer is neither! These words are both considered to be equally correct, and you can use them interchangeably. While toward can be traced further back in history, towards is not a new form and can be traced as well. In addition, they are both used in American English, as well as British English. So, it's okay to have ambiguous feelings toward the two words, and you can use them both as you progress towards grammatical perfection!
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