Forum: Author Hangout

To vs Toward

Switch Blayde 🚫

I just read the following:

She threw herself out the window, wings spreading wide as she plummeted to the earth, catching the wind before she crashed.

What? If she plummeted to the earth, how did she not crash?

Of course it should be "plummeted toward the earth" (or "towards" if you follow that convention).

This is one of the most common mistakes I come upon.

The main difference between 'to' and 'toward is that 'to' shows the result of an action while 'toward' does not convey any result.

Replies: helmut_meukel Grey Wolf

helmut_meukel 🚫

@Switch Blayde

wings spreading wide as she plummeted to the earth, catching the wind before she crashed.

What? If she plummeted to the earth, how did she not crash?

There is ambiguity here, it can mean she caught the wind with her wings, but it was not enough or too late to avoid crashing.
In this sense 'to' would be correct.

HM.

Replies: awnlee jawking Switch Blayde

awnlee jawking 🚫

@helmut_meukel

There is ambiguity here, it can mean she caught the wind with her wings, but it was not enough or too late to avoid crashing.
In this sense 'to' would be correct.

I'm with SB on this one. The sequence of clauses indicates she caught the wind after she plummeted to earth. However I accept that most readers would recognise the author's intention and accept that she caught the wind before she bounced.

AJ

Switch Blayde 🚫

@helmut_meukel

There is ambiguity here

No ambiguity in the story. She caught the wind before crashing and flew away.

Grey Wolf 🚫
Updated:

@Switch Blayde

I tend to write things like 'towards' fairly often.

Then my editors strike out the 's'.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Grey Wolf

Then my editors strike out the 's'.

I used to always write "towards." Then I read that's the British way and the U.S. way is without the "s" so I now don't. However, I recently wrote "backwards" with the "s" in a story because it just didn't sound right without the "s".

I mostly see "towards" so I don't know if the British/U.S. thing is right.

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@Switch Blayde

I mostly see "towards" so I don't know if the British/U.S. thing is right.

I used to think that there was a distinction in that one implied motion (closing the distance to the object) and the other was about facing/orientation with no implication of motion.

I am walking toward the bank.

I am looking towards the oak tree.

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To vs Toward

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