More about Forward vs Forwards

Question

If I'm writing "he stepped forward", is there an "s"? Is there any specific time to say forwards vs. forward, or is it based on USA vs UK?

Answer 1

Something can step or move forward. In most cases, I think, forward will be the correct word to use.

Forwards would be used in some contexts such as "This mail rule forwards any messages from bob@example.com to jim@test.com".

Answer 2

Google NGrams (here) says "step forward" has much more prevalence. "Come forward" is also more common than "come forwards" (here). Several other such permutations show that "forwards" with an s is much less common. There does not appear to be a UK/US difference; variations between the two yield similar results. But why?

According to this previous english.stackexchange.com question, the OED says the following:

The present distinction in usage between forward and forwards is that the latter expresses a definite direction viewed in contrast with other directions. In some contexts either form may be used without perceptible difference of meaning; the following are examples in which only one of them can now be used: ‘The ratchet-wheel can move only forwards’; ‘the right side of the paper has the maker's name reading forwards’; ‘if you move at all it must be forwards’; ‘my companion has gone forward’; ‘to bring a matter forward’; ‘from this time forward’. The usage of earlier periods, and of modern dialects, varies greatly from that of mod. standard English. In U.S. forward is now generally used, to the exclusion of forwards, which was stigmatized by Webster (1832) as ‘a corruption’.

I'd use "forward", as it is more accurate. However, in our changing language, this merely devolves into a prescriptivist/pragmatist debate.

Answer 3

As an adverb, no "s": "he stepped forward."

If an argument may be made for US vs. UK usage, I suspect "forwards" is an overcorrection (by way of comparing with "backwards") and is still rather incorrect per UK usage.