Do we add an s to words like anyway, regard, and toward? Rather than give the noncommittal response I love to use, “It depends,” I will dive into the topic with a bit of detail. Some may say that it is all about American and British usage, but this is not always the case, and when needed, I’ll indicate whether it is an issue related to such differences. As usual, references are included at the end for further reading.
Anyway and Anyways
Whether to use anyway or anyways is fairly straightforward. The Chicago Manual of Style (2017, 311) and Garner (2003, 53) both tell us that anyways is dialectal and considered nonstandard usage. Dump the s and go for anyway. Anyway, it’s safe to say you should drop the s. Let’s move toward or towards the next topic.
Toward and Towards
The argument about whether it should be toward or towards is pretty simple as well. New Hart’s Rules (2014, 419) tells us that towards occurs in both American and British English but also indicates, as does The Economist Style Guide (2018, 162), that toward is more common in American English, while it rarely occurs in British English. So, whether to include the s is largely a matter of American versus British preference.
To use or not to use an s is summed up nicely by the Chicago Manual of Style (2017, 355), and the description includes additional examples: “In British English, towards predominates. The same is true for other directional words, such as upward, downward, forward, and backward, as well as afterward.” In sum, American English generally has no s; British English generally does. It may well be a pain in the s.
There are two catches, though. First, this only applies when these words work as adverbs or prepositions. As adjectives, they generally don’t take the s in either variety, so British writers also write an upward trend and a downward spiral. Second, forward is the usual form in British English too in most uses, as in look forward to and step forward; forwards mostly shows up with literal movement, as in backwards and forwards.
So, shall we go onward or onwards? That depends on which side of the Atlantic you’re on.
Regard and Regards
Regards
I’ll start with regards as a plural. The plural form is used at the end of a letter when you want to send your compliments and wishes to the receiver (Petelin 2022, 244). In this sense, regards means good wishes, and it’s a fixed plural. The singular regard means something else entirely: esteem or consideration. So, stock phrases like “Best regards,” “With kind regards,” or the ever-so-terse “Regards” should always be plural. Signing off with “Best regard” wouldn’t read as stingy so much as a typo.
Oh, I should also mention that the same meaning applies when you give your regards to Broadway or to James or to anyone else. Your regards are good wishes and friendly greetings.
Regard
Both with regard to and in regard to are compound prepositions that mean the same as in relation to or similar phrasings. They are fixed idioms, and the singular regard is part of the idiom, so adding an s breaks it. Using plural forms like in regards to and with regards to “is, to put it charitably, poor usage” (Garner 2003, 682). The Chicago Manual of Style (2017, 337) also says that the plural form is nonstandard. And to clarify, this isn’t an issue related to American versus British English. While The Economist Style Guide and New Hart’s Rules don’t have prescriptive rules on the matter, both publications do have several instances of with regard to but none with the plural form.
Turning Things Around
Having explained the meaning and accepted usage of regard, I will now recommend not using either compound since with regard to and in regard to are a bit wordy, and many one-word alternatives—about, concerning, and regarding—can work as comparable replacements. The original sentence below isn’t so different from the suggested alternatives.
Original: With regard to your last letter, I suggest we meet online.
Alternative 1: About your last letter, I suggest we meet online.
Alternative 2: Concerning your last letter, I suggest we meet online.
Alternative 3: Regarding your last letter, I suggest we meet online.
A simple question: why use three words when one would do?
References
The Chicago Manual of Style. 2017. 17th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
The Economist Style Guide. 2018. 12th ed. London: Profile Books.
Garner, Bryan A. 2003. Garner’s Modern American Usage. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
New Hart’s Rules: The Oxford Style Guide. 2014. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Petelin, Roslyn. 2022. How Writing Works: A Field Guide to Effective Writing. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.