If you ask someone what the difference between the words ‘toward’ and ‘towards’ is, there’s a high chance that they would say that one of them has an ‘s’ at the end and the other one doesn’t. So when students are using these words, they often get confused. But are these terms any different from each other or do they mean the same thing? This article will discuss these terms and make sure that children understand the terms when they use them.
There are many words present in the English Language that confuse learners of all ages, and since they don’t know the exact difference between such words, in most cases, they end up using them in the wrong way. This article will make sure that students don’t get confused while using the terms ‘toward’ and ‘towards’. So let’s discuss the following points.
- Table Summarising the Difference between Toward and Towards
- The Difference between Toward and Towards – Meanings
- Examples of Toward and Towards
- Toward and Towards – Conclusion
Table Summarising the Difference between Toward and Towards
| Towards | Toward | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The word towards refers to the direction/way in which something goes/moves. | The word toward refers to something that’s in progress or moving in a direction of something. |
| Usage | It is used as Preposition | It is used as a Preposition. |
| Example | He went towards the forest. | Sam ran toward the finishing line. |
This table shows that ‘toward’ and ‘towards’ can be treated as synonymous and can be used interchangeably. Students are often puzzled by these words and this table will help them understand the contexts they have to use these in. Once they know the difference between these words, they can apply them in the correct contexts.
The Difference between Toward and Towards – Meanings
If you go into an in-depth analysis, you’ll realise that the words ‘toward’ and ‘towards’ are not different from each other, and the word ‘toward’ is a variant of the word ‘towards’. If you are asked to point out the difference between these terms, then the only point of difference is their usage. The word ‘towards’ is quite commonly used in British English, and the word ‘toward’ is mostly used in American English. Both of these words are used as prepositions. So students can use these terms interchangeably but they have to be careful with their usage, i.e., if they are talking to a British audience, they should use the word ‘towards’ instead of toward and for an American audience, it should be ‘toward’.
Examples of Toward and Towards
The following example will help students understand ‘toward’ and ‘towards’.
Towards – The boy ran towards the park. (preposition)
Toward – The car ran toward the ditch. (preposition)
Toward and Toward – Conclusion
In conclusion, the words ‘toward’ and ‘towards’ are synonymous and can be used interchangeably. This article points out the difference between ‘toward’ and ‘towards,’ i.e., their usage to make it easy for students to use them in sentences. BYJU’S offers various articles on many such ‘Difference Between’ two words that students often get confused with.
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