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TO / TOWARD / TOWARDS

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hela

Joined: 02 May 2004
Posts: 420
Location: Tunisia

Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 11:51 pm Post subject: TO / TOWARD / TOWARDS

Dear teachers, Is it possible to say "to have a duty TOWARD / TOWARDS (?) one's family" ? When are TO and TOWARD(S) interchangeable and when are they not? Many thanks Hela

Harmony

Joined: 23 Mar 2006
Posts: 140

Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 5:28 pm Post subject:

hela wrote:

Dear teachers,

Is it possible to say "to have a duty TOWARD / TOWARDS (?) one's family" ?
When are TO and TOWARD(S) interchangeable and when are they not?

Many thanks
Hela

Hi Hela,

It is definitely possible to say "to have a duty toward/towards one's family"! Wink

Native speakers of English do use this phrase. See number four under the definition of "toward" below. I suppose it might be thought to make sense because "duty" is an obligation which may or may not actually require an action. That's just a guess though. I'm not a "semantical expert". Laughing

I think "toward/towards" always implies moving in the direction of something, but not necessarily with any assurance or expectation that whatever is moving will arrive at the target! Example: We were walking toward the sunset.

"To" is usually more optimistic about your chances of actually reaching your destination. You wouldn't say, "We were walking to the sunset", but you could say, "We were walking to the store." If you say,"We were walking toward the store" people will probably wonder what happened to keep you from getting there.

Below are the definitions from dictionary.com. I think substituting "toward" for "to" in the phrases they've provided will give you a fairly good idea of when the substitution works and when it doesn't.

~ ~ ~ Harmony Very Happy

~*~*~*~*~

toward prep. (also towards)

1. In the direction of: driving toward home.

2. In a position facing: had his back toward me.

3. Somewhat before in time: It began to rain toward morning.

4. With regard to; in relation to: an optimistic attitude toward the future.

5. In furtherance or partial fulfillment of: contributed five dollars toward the bill.

6. By way of achieving; with a view to: efforts toward peace.

to prep.

1.
a. In a direction toward so as to reach: went to the city.
b. Towards: turned to me.

2.
a. Reaching as far as: The ocean water was clear all the way to the bottom.
b. To the extent or degree of: loved him to distraction.
c. With the resultant condition of: nursed her back to health.

3. Toward a given state: helping minority women to economic equality.

4. In contact with; against: their faces pressed to the windows.

5. In front of: stood face to face.

6. Used to indicate appropriation or possession: looked for the top to the jar.

7. Concerning; regarding: waiting for an answer to my letter.

8. In a particular relationship with: The brook runs parallel to the road.

9. As an accompaniment or a complement of: danced to the tune.

10. Composing; constituting: two cups to a pint.

11. In accord with: job responsibilities suited to her abilities.

12. As compared with: a book superior to his others.

13.
a. Before: The time is ten to five.
b. Up till; until: worked from nine to five.

14.
a. For the purpose of: went out to lunch.
b. In honor of: a toast to the queen.

15.
a. Used before a verb to indicate the infinitive: I'd like to go.
b. Used alone when the infinitive is understood: Go if you want to.

16.
a. Used to indicate the relationship of a verb with its complement: refer to a dictionary; refer me to a dictionary.
b. Used with a reflexive pronoun to indicate exclusivity or separateness: had the plane to ourselves.

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.

hela

Joined: 02 May 2004
Posts: 420
Location: Tunisia

Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:31 pm Post subject:

Thanks Harmony. You're always helpful.

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