Cf. Fowler's Modern English Usage (1926):
Toward, towards, towardly. ... Of the prepositions the -s form is the
prevailing one, & the other tends to become literary on the one hand &
provincial on the other.
P
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to
> poetry and poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Jon Corelis
> Sent: 22 August 2005 14:32
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Towards clarity whilst amidst and amongst us
>
> The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style says that
> amongst, amidst, and whilst are considered archaic and
> therefore pretentious in American English but not in British
> English, and that toward is prevalent in American English,
> towards in British. (I think by American they mean USA, not
> Canada.) This more or less accords with my own impression.
> The forms in -st to me would sound definitely odd used by an
> American. Towards, though, seems perfectly ordinary American
> English, though less frequently used than towards.
>
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