Preposition/help

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Preposition/help
Message from choiian posted on 29-03-2013 at 02:12:49 (D | E | F)
Hello,

Could you help me please and tell what the difference between TO and Towards is?
I am confused.
Please, reply me.

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Edited by lucile83 on 29-03-2013 07:44

Re: Preposition/help from lucile83, posted on 29-03-2013 at 07:46:48 (D | E)
Hello,

Please use a dictionary:
Link

Link

Link

Link

Link

You can choose the dictionary you like best and save the link.
Regards.

Re: Preposition/help from rogermue, posted on 29-03-2013 at 08:19:45 (D | E)
Hello Choiian,

good question. Actually there is no difference as to the meaning.
When indicating direction the normal preposition is to, and toward or towards is a variant.
As it is a longer word it has a slightly different stilistic value.
'toward(s)' belongs to a whole set of words indicating direction as
- backward, foreward, upward and so on. The element of word formation -ward(s) indicates the idea 'directed to + point of direction. 'ward' is related to a Latin verb vertere meaning to change the direction.
I hope that my explanation will clarify the matter a bit.

PS Dictionaries won't give you much help when you have questions of this sort. One can't differentiate the two words by definition. The definition is the same as you will find if you use the dictionaries. But one can say that 'to' is a general-purpose preposition with a lot of slightly different meanings whereas 'toward(s)' is unambiguous, that is it is simple as it has only one meaning.
There is another question involved. When do you use toward and when towards? I should say the tendency is to drop the -s. The forms with -wards are the older forms. There is no difference of meaning. But the use is slightly different in American and British English.

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Edited by rogermue on 29-03-2013 08:20
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Edited by lucile83 on 30-03-2013 14:54

Re: Preposition/help from choiian, posted on 30-03-2013 at 10:58:01 (D | E)
Thank you for your answers that are so detailed.

Re: Preposition/help from lucile83, posted on 30-03-2013 at 15:01:14 (D | E)
Hello rogermue

Dictionaries won't give you much help when you have questions of this sort. ... you may be a litlle right, but that is the base and the beginning of learning.
The main thing is also to know how to use a dictionary, or better, several dictionaries in order to compare what they mean.

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