Because / Because of
Indicating Cause
Because vs. Because of
| CONNECTOR + CLAUSE | |
|---|---|
Each of the following connectors¹ introduces a clause stating cause (a reason). A clause by definition has a (subject + verb). The cause-clause may occur before or after the effect-clause. ¹See Grammar Notes for terms. |
|
| CAUSE | EFFECT |
Because a gas pipeline exploded, |
several homes burned down. |
|
|
Since gas flowed freely from the pipe, |
water could not put out the fire. |
Because the gas pipeline was so old, |
it broke. |
Because they delayed replacing the pipe, |
the accident was likely to occur. |
| CONTRARY CAUSE | EFFECT (SITUATION) |
Though the firemen arrived quickly, |
they could do nothing to stop the inferno. |
|
|
Even though residents smelled gas, |
the pipeline was not replaced. |
| PREPOSITION + NOUN PHRASE | |
|---|---|
Each of these expressions that ends with a preposition introduces a clause stating cause (a reason). The preposition is followed by a noun or pronoun. The cause-clause may occur before or after the effect-clause. |
|
| CAUSE | EFFECT |
Because of the gas explosion, |
several homes burned down. |
Because of an exploding gas line, |
several homes burned down |
Due to the free flow of gas, |
water could not put out the fire. |
Due to free-flowing gas, |
water could not put out the fire. |
On account of the age of the pipeline, |
it broke. |
On account of being so old, |
the pipeline broke. |
Owing to the delay in replacing the pipeline, |
the accident was likely to occur. |
Owing to the delay in replacing the pipeline, |
the accident was likely to occur. |
| CONTRARY CAUSE | EFFECT (SITUATION) |
Despite a quick arrival, |
the firemen could do nothing |
Despite arriving quickly, |
the firemen could do nothing to stop the inferno. |
In spite of the resident's smelling gas, |
the gas company did not replace the gas line. |
NP –noun phrase; N – noun; GER – gerund clause / nonfinite clause
Also see Because/ Though Grammar Notes.
Related page: Pop-Q "Though"
Because of the fact, by virtue of the fact, in light of the fact, in view of the fact, on account of, owing to the fact, due to the fact
Cause
Due to
Because of vs. Due to
| BECAUSE OF |
|---|
The two-word preposition because of is followed by a noun or noun phrase (noun + determiners and modifiers) |
| AFTER MOST VERBS |
The explosion occurred because of the aging pipes. (N) |
He survived the event because of luck. (N) |
She loves her children because of her motherly instincts. |
| DUE TO |
|---|
In some usage, due to differs from because of in that it follows a be-verb and is more similar to an adjective complement. (but not – owing to) In other usage, due to does not differ from because of. |
| AFTER "BE" VERB |
The explosion was due to the aging pipes. |
His survival was due to luck. |
Her motherly love is due to her instincts. |
aging (modifier) – becoming old or falling into poor condition as a result of use and wear
instinct (n.) – a natural tendency to behave in a particular way or a natural ability to know something, which is not learned
Noun Phrases
Reducing Clauses
Shortening a clause to a phrase
| CLAUSE | |
|---|---|
Because introduces a clause with a subject and verb that can be changed to a noun expression. |
|
| CONNECTOR | CLAUSE |
because |
they are coming at five |
because |
he was driving without his ID card. |
because |
she spent all her money |
because |
he reached his goal |
because |
the bank closed |
| NOUN PHRASE | |
|---|---|
1) change the pronoun to a possessive pronoun; 2) change the clause to a noun phrase (NP) or a gerund clause (nonfinite clause). |
|
| 2-WORD PREP | NOUN PHRASE |
because of |
their arrival. (NP) |
because of |
his driving without his ID card. (GER CLS) |
because of |
*[her] spending all her money. (GER CLS) |
because of |
*[his] reaching his goal. (GER CLS) |
because of |
the bank's closure. (NP) |
* If the possessive pronoun is redundant, it can be omitted.
connector – See Grammar Notes for term description.
terms: gerund phrase (Azar) / nonfinite clause (CaGEL)
Be Verbs
| CLAUSE | |
|---|---|
Because can also introduce a clause with a be verb that can be changed to a noun expression. |
|
| CONNECTOR | SUBJ NOUN + CLAUSE |
because |
the wine was very dark red |
because |
she was very tired |
because |
Alfred is very old |
because |
the cat had been frightened |
| NOUN PHRASE | |
|---|---|
To reduce a clause to a noun phrase 1) change the pronoun to a possessive form; 2) change the clause to a noun phrase or a gerund. (nonfinite clause). |
|
| 2-WORD PREP | POSS NOUN + NOUN PHRASE |
because of |
the wine's dark, red color (NP) |
because of |
her tiredness (NP) |
because of |
his advanced age (NP) |
because of |
his fright (NP) |
Related pages After / Before –ing (before, after, while, when, since) | Because Clauses (because – same time & earlier)
SUBJ NOUN – subject noun or pronoun
POSS NOUN – possessive noun or pronoun
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
| ERROR | SOLUTION |
|---|---|
"Because of it is coming soon news coverage of the election is increasing."
|
Because of the upcoming election, news coverage of it is increasing. 1) Use a noun phrase after because of: the upcoming election (See Noun Phrases above.) 2) Use the noun election in the first clause and the referring pronoun in the second clause. Always mention the noun first before using a referring pronoun such as it. |
*Due to it's raining here, we can't go. |
Due to the rain here, we can't go. There is no noun phrase that can replace it, so rephrase the sentence. |
*Yellow highlighting indicates example of incorrect usage.
Pop-Q – "because of"
Grammar Notes
Traditional Grammar and Linguistic Description
Advanced
| TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR | LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
In traditional grammar — because, since, as— are connectors that introduce adverb clauses. They relate why something occurred. |
In current linguistic description —because as since, as, etc.— are included in the preposition category. (In this description, prepositions can be complemented by a wide variety of sentence structures and are not limited to object complements.) |
| BECAUSE | BECAUSE |
because |
because, as, since, inasmuch as (Huddleston, Biber and Quirk classify these words differently.) |
| BECAUSE OF | BECAUSE OF |
because of, due to Sometimes, usually in formal writing, due to is followed by a noun clause introduced by the fact that… Like adverb clauses, these phrases can also follow main clauses. |
because of, due to, owing to, on account of |
CATEGORIES: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det – determiner; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective
FUNCTIONS: Subject: Subject, Predicate: Predicator (V) Complements: (elements required by verb) Object, Indirect Object, Predicative Complement Adjuncts: (optional modifiers) Adj, Adv
Resources
- Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar (UUEG) . White Plains, New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print.
- Biber, Douglas, and Stig Johansson, et al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English (LGSWE). Harlow: Pearson Education, 1999. Print.
- Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum, et al. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CaGEL) . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage (PEU). 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
- Quirk, Randolph and Sidney Greenbaum. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (CoGEL) . 7th ed. New York: Longman Group, 1989. Print
Practice 1
Complete the sentence
Use a clause or a noun phrase?
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.
Practice 2
Complete the sentence
Use an adverb or a phrasal preposition?
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button.