Ask a Question

(Create a thread)
Go Back   Spanish language learning forums > Spanish & English Languages > Grammar


Due to vs because of

 

This is the place for questions about conjugations, verb tenses, adverbs, adjectives, word order, syntax and other grammar questions for English or Spanish.


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old November 20, 2017, 04:41 PM
ROBINDESBOIS's Avatar
ROBINDESBOIS ROBINDESBOIS is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,040
ROBINDESBOIS is on a distinguished road
Due to vs because of

I´m confused about these to words, because I found different theories on the internet and grammar books. Some grammarians say they are interchangeable. However on the internet, I ve found they are not. Due to modifies nouns and because of modifies whole sentences or verbs. Others say use due to after the verb be etc... etc...
Any clear rules about it?
Reply With Quote
   
Get rid of these ads by registering for a free Tomísimo account.
  #2  
Old November 20, 2017, 06:35 PM
poli's Avatar
poli poli is offline
rule 1: gravity
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: In and around New York
Posts: 7,810
Native Language: English
poli will become famous soon enoughpoli will become famous soon enough
Quote:
Originally Posted by ROBINDESBOIS View Post
I´m confused about these to words, because I found different theories on the internet and grammar books. Some grammarians say they are interchangeable. However on the internet, I ve found they are not. Due to modifies nouns and because of modifies whole sentences or verbs. Others say use due to after the verb be etc... etc...
Any clear rules about it?
Because of is much more used, and with good reason: it's is more flexible. For instance, you can say, because of you, I am no longer alone. Rarely would you hear due to you, I am no longer alone. Strangely enough you can say I'm no longer alone due to you That's why your theory about due to modifying only nouns is a bit faulty. Because of can always replace due to, but due to cannot always replace because of in normal English speech patterns even though the meaning of the two phrases are the same.

This is a good observation. I never thought about this before.
__________________
Me ayuda si corrige mis errores. Gracias.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old December 11, 2017, 10:29 AM
Tomisimo's Avatar
Tomisimo Tomisimo is offline
Davidísimo
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: North America
Posts: 5,664
Native Language: American English
Tomisimo will become famous soon enoughTomisimo will become famous soon enough
This is actually a really interesting question. The two terms are very similar in meaning but are not very interchangeable in usage. There are cases where you can use "due to" but cannot use "because of" and vice-versa.

due to seems to have two meanings: caused by or ascribable to and because of or owing to
because of seems to mean: on account of or by reason of

Looking at examples is one of the best ways to learn. So I did some searching and here are examples of real usage. I just did a Google search and choose the snippets or titles in the results that included a complete sentence containing the term.

because of:
A Santa's Grotto in the midlands has had to close for the day because of too much snow.
Because of Jane, and her close observations, our knowledge about their behavior greatly increased—and sparked further study, research, and conservation efforts.
People Are Dying Because of Ignorance, not Because of Opioids.
Packers' offense stuck in first gear, but not because of blocking.
Because of nursing research, there is a program to help the parents of a premature infant learn about prematurity.
Here's How A Corvette Was Totaled Because Of One Inch Of Damage.

due to:
Will schools close tomorrow due to snow?
Sri Lanka cricket team stuck in Dharamsala due to inclement weather.
Ellen DeGeneres, wife Portia de Rossi and their pets were evacuated their California home on Sunday, December 10, due to the wildfire threat.
New Forest homes are without water due to burst mains
Lindsey Vonn withdraws from World Cup race due to injury


I also found an interesting comparison of the two terms here, which basically says that due to wants to be an adjective, and because of wants to be an adverb. The examples it gives are:

His defeat was due to the lottery issue.
He was defeated because of the lottery issue.

I found another page that tries to establish a rule for when to use each of these two expressions. The rule is:

Quote:
Due to is a predicate adjective + preposition that means "the result of" or "resulting from." It is always used after a form of the verb to be.

Because of
is a preposition used to introduce an adverbial phrase and means "as a result of." It is not used after a form of the verb to be.
The examples given are:

Her headache was due to the enormous elephant peculiarly perched on her head.
She had a headache because of the enormous elephant peculiarly perched on her head.
__________________
If you find something wrong with my Spanish, please correct it!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old December 11, 2017, 01:37 PM
poli's Avatar
poli poli is offline
rule 1: gravity
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: In and around New York
Posts: 7,810
Native Language: English
poli will become famous soon enoughpoli will become famous soon enough
I still think they are interchangeable. Due to is used more in official announcements. Example: Due to impending storm conditions all eastbound trains will suspend operations at 6PM. In response to the message Joe called Rose to let her know that he would be leaving work at 5PM because of the storm forecast.

You don't hear due to much in everyday conversations.
__________________
Me ayuda si corrige mis errores. Gracias.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old December 22, 2017, 10:09 AM
Tomisimo's Avatar
Tomisimo Tomisimo is offline
Davidísimo
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: North America
Posts: 5,664
Native Language: American English
Tomisimo will become famous soon enoughTomisimo will become famous soon enough
Agreed. I'd say they are mostly interchangeable in casual, spoken English, depending on the speaker's habits, and not necessarily interchangeable in formal, written English.

So the answer really depends on register and context.
__________________
If you find something wrong with my Spanish, please correct it!
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
because of, by reason of, caused by, due to, due to vs because of, on account of, owing to

 

Link to this thread
URL: 
HTML Link: 
BB Code: 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Site Rules

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
To take credit where credit is due JPablo Vocabulary 3 July 09, 2010 10:19 PM
Due process hearing procedures lblanco Translations 3 October 16, 2008 01:03 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:29 AM.

Forum powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

X