In and with regard to, regarding, and as regards are all Standard

Question

HiPlease help me with the queries below. Thank you.1: What does the phrase "more varied" mean in the context below?2: In the phrase "With [my] regards to", I believe "regards" means 'respects'. This means that that particular phrase doesn't mean the same as the use of "with regards to" in phrases such as 'with regards to this matter'. Am I correct? If I'm correct, then I don't think the example phrase "With [my] regards to your family" is apt in the below context because the passage aims to explain "with regards to" which is close in meaning to "in regards to".Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–).  The Columbia Guide to Standard American English.  1993.regarding, as regards, in regard(s) to, with regard(s) toIn and with regard to, regarding, and as regards are all Standard, synonymous prepositions, slightly longer and more varied than but meaning much the same as about and concerning: I spoke to him regarding [as regards, in regard to, with regard to] his future. With regards to is Nonstandard and frequently functions as a shibboleth, although it can be Standard and idiomatic in complimentary closes to letters: With [my] regards to your family…. In regards to, however, is both Substandard and Vulgar, although it appears unfortunately often in the spoken language of some people who otherwise use Standard. It never appears in Edited English.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

1. Wilson is saying that the three phrases: "with regard to", "regarding", and "as regards", are synonyms. He's saying that these three phrases are slightly longer than the two words, "about" and "concerning". He's saying that the three phrases mean much the same thing as the two words, and that the three phrases give the speaker a more varied way of saying the same thing, than do the two words.

For example, you can say the following (all are correct and mean approximately the same thing):

I spoke to him about his future.

I spoke to him concerning his future.

I spoke to him with regard to his future.

I spoke to him regarding his future.

I spoke to him as regards his future.

So the three phrases give the speaker a more wordy way of saying, "I spoke to him about his future."

In the example Wilson gives of using "with regards to" in a complimentary close to a letter, "With [my] regards

to you family", he's giving a fourth phrase "with regards to", which is different from the three phrases previously given. This is not synonymous with the word "about". So you are right, he probably shouldn't have mixed this example in with an explanation of the first three phrases.

In and with regard to, regarding, and as regards are all Standard

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