towards

towards — 介系詞

1. used to say where a person or thing is going, pointing, or looking, or that they

1.介系詞A2
釋義

朝；向

指向或靠近某處的方向

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.

例句

Daichi threw the ball towards Faisal, but it landed in the bushes.

Daichi 把球朝 Faisal 丟過去，但球掉進了灌木叢裡。

towards + noun (direction with verb of motion: threw)

A black car was driving towards the bridge at high speed.

一輛黑色轎車正高速朝橋的方向駛去。

towards + noun (direction with driving)

同義詞
  • toward

    American English variant; identical meaning and use

  • in the direction of

    more formal and longer, used mostly in written English

反義詞
  • 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

❌He walked to towards the store.
✅He walked towards the store.
💡Do not use 'to' before 'towards'; 'towards' already expresses direction.

2. showing how a person feels, thinks, or behaves in relation to someone or somethi

2.介系詞A2
釋義

對待；關於

表示對某人或某事的感受或態度

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.

例句

Dario has a very positive attitude towards learning new languages.

Dario 對學習新語言抱持非常正面的態度。

attitude + towards + gerund phrase

The government's policy towards small businesses has become more supportive recently.

政府對小型企業的政策近來變得更加支持。

policy + towards + noun phrase

同義詞
  • toward

    American English variant; identical meaning and use

  • regarding

    more formal; used mainly in written correspondence and official contexts

  • about

    less formal; more common in spoken English with verbs like 'feel' or 'think'

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

❌I have a good attitude for my studies.
✅I have a good attitude towards my studies.
💡Use 'towards' (not 'for') to indicate the object of an attitude or feeling.

3. somewhere close to a certain moment, day, or location, often used with expressio

3.介系詞B1
釋義

將近；接近

接近某個時間點或位置

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.

例句

The café gets busy towards lunchtime, so come early to get a seat.

這家咖啡館接近午餐時間時會很忙，所以早點來才能有位子。

towards + time noun (lunchtime)

Towards the end of the film, the audience was in tears over the sad ending.

接近電影尾聲時，全場觀眾都因為悲傷的結局而落淚。

towards the end of + noun

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • far from

    opposite for spatial usage

  • after

    opposite for temporal usage (after the end, not towards it)

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

❌The shop is open towards 9 pm.
✅The shop is open until 9 pm.
💡'Towards' means 'close to a time', not 'up to and including a specific time'.

4. intended to help achieve or pay for something — for example, saving money toward

4.介系詞B1
釋義

有助；用於

為了達成某目標或購買某物

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.

例句

Kasia is saving money towards a down payment on a flat near the station.

Kasia 正在存錢，準備用於支付車站附近一間公寓的頭期款。

save + towards + noun (financial goal)

The engineering team has been working hard towards finishing the bridge by next summer.

工程團隊一直努力朝著明年夏天完工的目標邁進。

work + towards + gerund (achievement goal)

同義詞
  • 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.

常見錯誤

❌I am saving towards buy a car.
✅I am saving towards buying a car.
💡'Towards' is a preposition and must be followed by a noun or gerund, not a bare verb.