due to vs because of

Question

I know the 'due to vs because of' issue has been tackled here before, but I hope anybody can help me with this specific issue:

Should it be: 'The tournament was cancelled due to disappointing weather conditions.' or

'The tournament was cancelled because of the disappointing weather conditions.'

Swan's Practical English Usage states in its 166th entry: 'Due to the bad weather, the match was cancelled.' 'Because of the bad weather' seems like an adverbial clause in this sentence, therefore I have a preference for 'because of' in this case. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Thank you very much in advance!

Answer 1

To answer your question: "Because of..." is correct. "Due to..." is wrong.

"Because of" modifies a nominal (i.e. a noun, pronoun or noun phrase), not a verb.

"Due to" means "caused by". So another way you could express your idea is "The cancellation was due to the disappointing weather."

Answer 2

I will point out that this can be considered a style, rather than grammar distinction. AP style recommends against "due to" except in terms of schedule or timing: "The train was due to arrive at 7 p.m."

For all statements regarding causes or reasons, "because" is recommended.

Answer 3

@Rosie F You mention 'due to means caused by'! Now that is very useful and easy to remember next time when in doubt! I also found a very useful link: https://www.eliteediting.com.au/correct-use-of-the-phrase-%E2%80%98due-to%E2%80%99/ It says if 'due to' does not modify a noun or follows a form of to be, then 'because of' has to be used.