Due to vs. Because of

The use of due to and because of is a common source of confusion (or perhaps you’re like me and hadn’t given it much thought before).

Did you have trouble getting to work due to the weather or because of the weather?

Here’s the scoop:

• Due to modifies nouns
• Because of modifies verbs

So what’s the correct answer? You had trouble getting to work because of the weather. Getting is the word being modified, and getting is a verb.

*Hint: After the verb to be (and forms of it including is, was, were, are), because of is usually the correct choice.

Other examples:

• Anna was late for her appointment because of a flight delay. (Modified: late.)
• Anna’s tardiness was due to a flight delay. (Modified: delay. Also, notice the verb “was.”)
  
  
• The roads were slick because of the snow. (Modified: were.)
• The slickness of the roads was due to the snow. (Modified: snow. Also, notice the verb “was.”)