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"Because" introduces a full clause with subject and verb; "because of" is followed by a noun or pronoun.
Side-by-side comparison
"Because" introduces a full clause with subject and verb: it explains the reason with a sentence. "She left because she was tired".
She was late because the traffic was terrible.
He could not sleep because he was too nervous.
I chose this career because I love helping people.
"Because of" introduces a noun or gerund, not a full clause. "She left because of the noise". It cannot be followed by subject + verb.
She was late because of the traffic.
The game was canceled because of the rain.
He could not sleep because of his nerves.
Common mistake
- •The most frequent mistake: "She was late because of the traffic was terrible".
- •"Because of" cannot precede a clause with a verb. Correct: "because the traffic was terrible" or "because of the traffic".
Trick to remember it
Is there a subject + verb after? Use "because". Is there only a noun or pronoun? Use "because of". Formula: because + [subject + verb]. Because of + [noun].
Quick rule
"Because" + clause (subject + verb). "Because of" + noun.
Did you know?
"Due to" and "owing to" are synonyms of "because of": always followed by a noun ("Due to the rain, the game was canceled"). In formal English, "due to" is often preferred over "because of". "Since" and "as" are synonyms of "because" with a clause ("Since it was raining, we stayed inside"), more formal and less emphatic than "because".
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The match was cancelled _____ heavy rain.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
I was late _____ the traffic was terrible this morning.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
"Despite" is followed by a noun; "although" introduces a full clause with subject and verb.
One is followed by a noun, the other is followed by a full clause.
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
'A lot of' works for countable and uncountable; 'many' only for countable; 'much' only for uncountable.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy