Just like any other language, The English language is also fascinating. In this language, many words are available that have the same meaning. These words are known as synonyms.
“Because” and “Due to” are synonyms. The meaning of both is the same; both represent cause or reason.
For this reason, many people believe that they are the same and can be used in English without any discretion. However, the reality is quite the contrary.
Key Takeaways
- “Because” is a conjunction used to introduce the reason or cause of an action or event; “due to” is a phrase used to indicate the cause of something, functioning as a preposition.
- “Because” is followed by a clause, while “due to” is followed by a noun phrase.
- Both “because” and “due to” express causation but have different grammatical structures and functions in a sentence.
Because vs Due To
“Because” is used to introduce the cause of something, and is followed by a clause, as in “I couldn’t go to the party because I had to study”. Due to” is a preposition that is used to indicate the cause of something followed by a noun or noun phrase, as in “The game was cancelled due to rain.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Because | Due to |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | “Because” is an adverb, and it is used as a conjunction. | “Due to” is an adjective, and it is also used as a conjunction too. |
| Use | Followed by a subject and a verb. | They are followed by a noun or noun phrase. |
| Preparation | “Because” is a word. | “Due to” is a term. |
| Expressing time | “Because” cannot be used to express the time of an event. | “Due to” can be used as an infinitive when it is assumed that something is about to happen at a given time. |
| Example | Because it was raining, we postponed the event. | We postponed the event due to the rain. |
When to Use Because?
In the English language, “Because” is a word that is used to explain causality. By using this word, anyone can show the reason behind any action.
Another example is, “My leg hurts because I had an accident.” In this example, there is the reasoning behind the pain in the leg and the accident.
The word “because” joins the two sentences in this example. “My leg hurts,” and “I had an accident.” Therefore, “because” can be used as a subordinating conjunction.
Any sentence with the word “because” remains incomplete without a noun/pronoun and appropriate verb. For example, “I like this game because I played it already.”
However, this rule doesn’t apply when “Because” is used with the word “of.” For example, “Because of Newton’s Law, everything falls.”
When to Use Due To?
The term “Due to” can be considered an academic term. Even though in regular vocabulary, there are many uses for this term, it is used in academic writing.
The term “Due to” is used to own things up. It is used to express the primary reason behind the event or action.
Due to” is a term that introduces adjective phrases and modifies nouns. As an example, “His success was due to hard work.” In this sentence, “due to hard work” modifies the noun “success.”
Often the term “Due to” is used to express the time of an event that will happen at a designated time. “80% of our students are due to pass out in six months.”
Main Differences Between Because and Due To
- The primary difference between “because” and “due to” is that “because” is a word, and it is made up of seven letters. On the other hand, “due to” is a term comprising two separate words.
- “Because” is an adverb, and “due to” is an adjective. Both of them can be used as a conjunction.
- “Because” is followed by a subject and a verb. However, “due to” is followed by a noun or noun phrase.
- Sometimes “due to” can be used as an infinitive, where it is assumed that something is about to happen at a particular time. For example, “Most of our labor force is due to retire in two years.”
- Here are two examples that show the difference between “because” and “due to.” “Because it was raining, we postponed the event.” and “we postponed the event due to the rain.” Even though the meaning of these two sentences is the same, they are expressed in different ways.
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/because
- https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/due-to
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