Revised as of
5 July 2023
It seemed appropriate to include forward and foreword along with afterward versus afterword, although I suppose I should’a reversed the order of publication . . . hmmm . . .
It’s a bit forward of me to lecture at you about proper word usage, but I’d rather you look good to your readers . . . and know how to label any introductory preamble or prelude to your book.
Exploring Later . . .
You may want to explore other for-s and fore-s such as “For vs Fore vs Four“, “For versus Fro“, “For- versus Fore-“, “Forego versus Forgo“, and even “Fascinated By, For, or With“.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Forward | Foreword |
|---|---|
Forward » is Lemonlime’s own work under the CC-BY-SA-3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. |
Tom Strong, Boy-captain : A Story of America, 1913, is in the public domain, courtesy of the Library of Congress, via Public Domain Media. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective | Noun
Plural: forewords |
| Near, being at, or belonging to the forepart
Situated in advance Strongly inclined Lacking modesty or reserve Notably advanced or developed Moving, tending, or leading toward a position in front Moving toward an opponent’s goal Advocating an advanced policy in the direction of what is considered Progress Of, relating to, or getting ready for the future |
Before the word
A section at the beginning of a book that introduces the book and is written by someone other than the book’s author, usually a celebrity or another author in your field A credible opinion written by someone else indicating that your book is worth reading |
| Examples: | |
| Get to the forward deck!
She’s quite a forward woman. I’m looking forward to meeting him. |
It’s useful to read the foreword in a book as it can give you an idea of what inspired the author.
It can be a good marketing ploy to get a well-known expert to write a foreword for your technical book. A foreword is similar to a preface, which is written by the author. |
| History of the Word: | |
| The first known use was before the 12th century.
Middle English from the Old English foreweard, from fore- + -weard -ward. |
The first known use was in 1842. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Forward versus Foreword
Apple Dictionary.com
Merriam-Webster: forward and foreword
Pinterest Photo Credits:
50th Division moving forward near St Gabriel, 6 June 1944 by Sergeant Parkinson No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
