By Mary Morel
Reader’s question: What’s the difference between towards and toward?
Answer: Towards and toward can be used interchangeably.
Toward is more common in American English, whereas towards is used more in British, Australian and New Zealand English.
With other -ward and -wards words implying movement, such as downwards and upwards, there used to be a distinction between adjectives and adverbs:
- -ward was used for adjectives (downward slope)
- -wards with adverbs (move downwards).
This distinction appears to be dying in Australia.
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