Are the words "toward" and "towards" synonymous? If not, when should I use one over the other? "Towards" usually sounds silly to my ear, but is that just me?
Answer
The -ward root in words like forward, backward or toward is related to the Latin vertere and versus (to turn) and goes as far back as Sanskrit (vartate).
So this root has a rich history and has appeared in various altered forms in numerous Indo-European languages.
In German we have wärts which has the s: rückwärts (backward(s)) and vorwärts (forward(s)).
Evidently, in Old English the -ward root was either -weard or -weardes. So even in ancient times, there were already two forms: one with an es and one without. The idea that Brits use -wards, whereas -ward is a modern Americanism simply does not hold water since both versions trace back to respective Old English forms.
In any case, there is no need to have any qualms about putting the s on -ward or about leaving it off.
No comments:
Post a Comment