USAGE NOTE: Some critics have tried to discern a semantic distinction between toward and towards, but the difference is entirely dialectal. Toward is more common in American English; towards is the predominant form in British English.
Same goes for backwards, forwards, etc, being that -ward(s) is a suffix. Hope that helps.
I only use farther when it relates to distance My example above, so heartlessly rejected by AnnaS, (Rhuby crying icon) holds good in this case as well, of course. There is no doubt that the farther related to the orphaned twins was at a considerable distance from them.
I had read once that the s-free versions were the "proper" versions (I think this was in some high school grammar class), so I tend to use those in writing, and I probably add the S when I feel like it in speaking. Of course, knowing a lot more about English and lanugage in general, I now doubt the assertion that it is "correct" one way and not the other way!
And now, boys and girls, a word from an old fogey. (I'm sure that got their attention, since all young folks are taught to respect their elders) I am confident you will attend closely and profit by the advice that follows. I know the answers to the Qs you raised, Cara Dea, and I've seen the answers suggested by the others, BUT let me suggest a way to get good answers, quick answers and complete answers. To get you started .....
>An electronic whisper from the back of the Board< The old fool is going to lecture us about the 'good ol' days when books were written on papyrus or paper or scrolls or whatever it was they used in those days.
RIGHT! AWADers, may I have a word with you? Today's worthful word is FOWLER. F-O-W-L-E-R. Do I have to say to THIS group " A Dictionary of Mod Eng Usage, 2ed, revised and edited by Sir Ernest Gower" O TEMPORA! O MORES! I know the General Populace is rather keen on Atomica or Goo Goo, Poo Poo, YoYo, You Hoo or WhoWhoever and that is comme il faut. Those services have their uses. However, AWADers shouldn't rely solely on them. It would be like writing a review of MIDDLEMARCH from Cliffnotes, or preparing a Master's thesis from Shakespeare comic books or, Sparteye, like turning your 6th Circuit brief over to - Forbid it , Merciful God, the Spilchkr. Do yourselves a favor. Buy a copy of Fowler. (Dictionary of American English is also very good.) Put it on that very convenient shelf next to your Bartlett's, your Riverside Shakespeare and the volume of choice of Family Sacred Literature( I shall endeavor to be Religiously Orthodox-correct- and not name one over another). And while you're at it get a copy of -- No, let's just say, "More suggestions and advice available upon request. Line forms over ....."
Now let me see, what WAS the name of that windmill at which I'm engaged to tilt tomorrow? Here endeth (or adjourneth) today's lesson.
PS to Sparteye - - It's probably too late, but we should seek to set CR straight about "killing all the lawyers" It appears he does not know about Dick the Butcher, Jack Cade or the poor chappie who was hanged because, as he confessed, he knew how to sign his name. If that is what they want, then doubtless they should start by "killing all of the lawyers". Yet another windmill. So many windmills! So little time! And so to bed ---
Oh, Bother! says he, mindful of the bad language thread I shal just have to try harder.
And as to the spurs, I'll keep them on if you want, AnnaS, but maybe not on the water bed. They were, in any case, just something that I thought of on the ---- no, what I mean is they were a spontaneous idea that occurred to me!
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site.
Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to
hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.
.
. Help, please... I've been robbed!!!
