southwards
southwards — adverb
1. moving or pointing in a direction that takes you closer to the South Pole — used
moving or pointing in a direction that takes you closer to the South Pole — used when describing the path of a journey, the flow of a river, or the orientation of movement across land or sea.
The flock of geese flew southwards as the autumn days grew shorter.
collocation: fly/travel/migrate + southwards
Mei-Lin drove southwards along the coastal highway towards the fishing village.
Each winter, thousands of tourists head southwards in search of sunshine.
The river flows southwards through the valley before it reaches the sea.
The hikers continued walking southwards until they spotted the border crossing.
- southward
identical meaning, more common in American English; 'southward' is also used as an adjective
- to the south
more formal, often describes location rather than movement
- southerly
used mainly for wind direction or general orientation, less precise for travel routes
- northwards
the opposite direction
文法句型
move/travel/fly/head/go + southwards
southwards + along/down/towards
用法筆記
Common with verbs of motion such as 'travel', 'move', 'head', 'flow', and 'fly'. In formal writing, 'southwards' may be preferred over the shorter 'south' when the focus is on the continuous direction of movement rather than the destination.
常見錯誤
southwards — adjective
1. placed, aimed, or travelling in the direction of the south — used only before a
placed, aimed, or travelling in the direction of the south — used only before a noun such as 'route', 'journey', 'wind', or 'track'.
All southwards flights were cancelled because of the snowstorm.
adj + noun: southwards flight / southwards route
A strong southwards wind pushed the small fishing boat towards the harbour.
The train on the southwards track had already left the station.
The army began its southwards march just after sunrise.
- northwards
the opposite direction
文法句型
southwards + noun (route/path/flight/direction/wind)
用法筆記
Always used before a noun (attributive position). Unlike the adverb form, the adjective cannot stand alone after a verb — compare 'They went southwards' (adverb) with 'the southwards journey' (adjective). The form 'southward' (without -s) is more common as an adjective in both British and American English.