Foreword vs. forward

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Grammarist

Forward has several adjectival and adverbial definitions, including (1) at, near, or belonging to the front, (2) going toward the front, and (3) tending to the front. It’s also a noun denoting a few sports positions. The noun foreword has only one meaning in today’s English: a preface or introductory note. Book prefaces are usually written by the author, while forewords are often contributed by someone other than the author. Forword and foreward are not dictionary-recognized words.

Examples

Forward

Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari said Monday his fractured left big toe likely won’t heal fast enough to allow him to play this week. [Denver Post]

Nevertheless, the new iPhone app is a great leap forward. [Los Angeles Times]

Many state lawmakers defended the current brothel system after and it’s unclear whether Reid’s position has enough support to move forward. [Talking Points Memo]

Foreword

In his foreword to Sir Christopher Lee’s autobiography, director Peter Jackson tells what happened on the actor’s final day filming The Lord Of The Rings. [Express (dead link)]

For Ray Bradbury, who contributes a foreword, it was the conjunction of Halloween and reading Edgar Allan Poe that sparked his “love of real books.” [Wall Street Journal]