difference between towards & to

towards - ("Toward/Towards" is a direction)
to - ("To" is a destination)

to vs towards?

(Hi,

The example is from dictionary:

'He has a very bad attitude to/towards work.'

Do the preposition 'to' and 'towards' mean the same here and are they usually interchangeable when used with 'attitude'?

Thanks)

• Like the others, I would also choose 'towards' for your sentence. But I don't think they are interchangeable.
  
  "To" is a destination.
  Walk to the mall. Your destination is the mall.
  
  "Toward/Towards" is a direction.
  Walk towards the mall. Your destination is still unknown, but you know in which direction to walk.
  
  Walk towards the mall, turn right on 2nd Avenue, go to the McDonald's after the first intersection and get me a double double cheese cheese burger burger please.

• Yes, but I think the difference is neutralized when it's not a question of physical movement -- or at least the dictionary editors think so. Here it's a question of anattitude to or towards work, not a drive to or towards work.

• I don't know of any rule that makes a distinction. In idiomatic speech I would generally say towards if meaning "in the direction of." For something "directly at" I would say to. Eg. In the direction of, "You will see the restaurant before 5 miles towards town." For something directly at, "You can't miss it if you keep on this road to town." 
  
  Thus, you would not say, "Give the ball towards Bill." But, you could say, "Throw the ball towards Bill."

• "Toward" means "in the direction of". If you are speaking of a direction, you can use "toward". If you are not speaking of a direction (as in "I gave the letter to Susan"), you cannot use "toward".