Thursday, June 28, 2012

Toward vs. towards



Examples

American and Canadian publications prefer toward—for example:
Scientists are moving toward the conclusion that the eastern cougar was erroneously classified as a separate subspecies in the first place. [NY Times]
To be sure, China is already seeing a shift away from exports toward domestic purchases as its sales to places like Europe falter. [Globe and Mail]
One inning Tuesday went a long way toward erasing any questions the Minnesota Twins might have about their closer … [USA Today]
U.K. and Australian writers heavily favor towards, by a ratio of about 10 to 1. For example, these news outlets use towards much more often than toward:
Libyan rebels advanced west towards Tripoli today after seeing off yet more airstrikes on captured cities by an increasingly desperate Colonel Gaddafi. [Daily Mail]
A few months later, towards December, they circle back completing a round trip of several hundred kilometres. [Guardian]
Scientists are moving towards the conclusion that the eastern cougar was erroneously classified as a separate subspecies in the first place. [Australian Associated Press (article now offline)]
Police began a surveillance operation and on December 23 last year saw David Smith leave his home and head towards a car. [Edinburgh Evening News (article now offline)]
More at Grammarist 

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