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motion verb + southward
southward 作副词时直接修饰移动动词，不需要介词。
The birds flew southward for the winter.
鸟儿们冬天飞往南方。
往南；向南
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
往南；向南
toward the south
The birds flew southward for the winter.
鸟儿们冬天飞往南方。
向南方；朝南方向。
Towards the south; in a southerly direction.
The birds flew southward when autumn came.
秋天来临时，鸟儿向南飞去。
We drove southward along the coast to reach the next town.
我们沿着海岸向南行驶，到达下一个城镇。
The river flows southward through the valley.
这条河向南流过山谷。
southward 作副词时直接修饰移动动词，不需要介词。
The birds flew southward for the winter.
鸟儿们冬天飞往南方。
用 to/into 等介词短语可以明确向南移动的终点或进入的区域。
The caravan continued southward into the desert.
商队继续向南进入沙漠。
from 短语放在句首时，后面仍用 southward 表示从该起点往南的方向。
From the mountain peak the trail leads southward.
从山顶起，这条小路向南延伸。
Not this
They sailed to southward.
Use this
They sailed southward.
southward 是副词，本身已表示“朝南”，前面不能再加介词 to；应直接放在动词后作方向状语。
Not this
The birds flew to south.
Use this
The birds flew southward.
south 作名词表示方向时一般要说 the south（go to the south），不能裸用；而 southward 作副词本身就有“朝南”义，直接修饰 flew，更简洁自然。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
向南旅行；南行
The birds travel southward every autumn.
这些鸟每年秋天向南迁徙。
向南移动
The storm is moving southward along the coast.
风暴正沿着海岸向南移动。
向南流
The river flows southward through the valley.
这条河流经山谷向南流去。
朝南行进；向南进发
We headed southward at dawn.
我们在黎明时向南进发。
向南漂移
The iceberg drifted southward into warmer waters.
冰山向南漂移进入较暖的水域。
转向南
The road turns southward after the bridge.
公路过了桥后转向南。
Use southward naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
想象你站在地图前，手指向南，嘴里念着 southward——这个单词就是‘向南’的意思。
语域：formal 常见场景：Travel writing and directions、Geography and weather reports southward 作副词多用于书面或较正式的场合，如旅行记叙、地理描述或导航说明；日常口语中更常见的是直接用 south。
没有所列单词与 southward /ˈsaʊθwəd/ 完全押韵：south /saʊθ/ 和 mouth /maʊθ/ 只共享重读的 /aʊθ/ 部分，缺少末尾的 /wəd/；northward /ˈnɔːθwəd/、eastward /ˈiːstwəd/、westward /ˈwestwəd/、backward /ˈbækwəd/ 只是拼写上以 -ward 结尾，重读元音与 southward 不同。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.