towards
/təˈwɔːdz/ (bre, ipa) · /tɔːrdz/ (ame, ipa)
towards — preposition
1. used to say where a person or thing is going, pointing, or looking, or that they
used to say where a person or thing is going, pointing, or looking, or that they are getting nearer to a particular person, place, or thing — for example, walking towards a door or turning your head towards a speaker.
Daichi threw the ball towards Faisal, but it landed in the bushes.
towards + noun (direction with verb of motion: threw)
A black car was driving towards the bridge at high speed.
towards + noun (direction with driving)
Yasmin turned her head towards the window when she heard a noise outside.
The children ran towards the playground as soon as the bell rang.
Christopher pointed towards the mountain and said that was their destination.
- toward
American English variant; identical meaning and use
- in the direction of
more formal and longer, used mostly in written English
- away from
indicates opposite direction of movement
文法句型
towards + noun/pronoun (physical direction)
用法筆記
Commonly appears after verbs of motion or direction — 'walk', 'run', 'drive', 'fly', 'move', 'point', 'look', 'turn'. In American English, 'toward' (without -s) is equally standard and more frequent.
常見錯誤
2. showing how a person feels, thinks, or behaves in relation to someone or somethi
showing how a person feels, thinks, or behaves in relation to someone or something — for example, having a kind attitude towards a neighbour, or feeling angry towards a company.
Dario has a very positive attitude towards learning new languages.
attitude + towards + gerund phrase
The government's policy towards small businesses has become more supportive recently.
policy + towards + noun phrase
Camila was full of anger towards the person who stole her bag.
Teachers should show patience towards students who are still learning the basics.
Asher's feelings towards his old school are warm because the teachers helped him a lot.
文法句型
feeling/attitude + towards + noun/pronoun
用法筆記
Common in patterns where an abstract noun or adjective describing an emotion or reaction is followed by 'towards' + the target of that emotion: 'attitude towards', 'feelings towards', 'kind towards', 'hostile towards'.
常見錯誤
3. somewhere close to a certain moment, day, or location, often used with expressio
somewhere close to a certain moment, day, or location, often used with expressions like 'the end of the day', 'midnight', or 'the top of the hill' — for example, arriving towards evening or sitting towards the back of the room.
The café gets busy towards lunchtime, so come early to get a seat.
towards + time noun (lunchtime)
Towards the end of the film, the audience was in tears over the sad ending.
towards the end of + noun
Hassan started to feel tired towards midnight, so he went to bed.
The weather turns cold towards November in the northern parts of the country.
Élise spotted her friend sitting towards the back of the lecture hall.
- toward
American English variant; identical meaning and use
- close to
more general; works for both time and physical proximity
- approaching
more literary; implies gradual movement towards a point
文法句型
towards + time expression (the end of..., midnight, etc.)
用法筆記
With time expressions, 'towards' means 'close to but not exactly at' that time. It does not mean 'until' or 'up to'. For spatial position, it is often used with 'the back', 'the front', 'the top', or 'the bottom'.
常見錯誤
4. intended to help achieve or pay for something — for example, saving money toward
intended to help achieve or pay for something — for example, saving money towards a new car, working towards a promotion, or donating money towards medical research.
Kasia is saving money towards a down payment on a flat near the station.
save + towards + noun (financial goal)
The engineering team has been working hard towards finishing the bridge by next summer.
work + towards + gerund (achievement goal)
Bake sale money will go towards new books for the school library.
Faisal puts some of his salary towards paying off his student loan.
The charity received a donation that will go towards clean water for the village.
- toward
American English variant; identical meaning and use
- for
simpler and more general; less precise about gradual contribution
- as a contribution to
more formal; often used in financial and charity contexts
文法句型
verb + towards + noun/gerund (purpose or contribution)
用法筆記
Often pairs with verbs of financial contribution ('save', 'put', 'donate', 'go') and verbs of effort ('work', 'strive', 'aim'). After 'towards', use a noun or a gerund (-ing form) — never a bare infinitive.