due to vs because of

[reply2spg]

The number of acres destroyed by wildfires, which have become an ongoing threat due to drought and booming population density, have increased dramatically over the past several years, prompting major concern among local politicians.

have become an ongoing threat due to drought and booming population density, have increased

have become an ongoing threat due to drought and booming population density, have been increasing

has become an ongoing threat because of drought and booming population density, has increased

have become an ongoing threat due to drought and booming population density, has increased

have become an ongoing threat because of drought and booming population density, has increased

SPOILER: OA E why not D?

[nverma]

In questions regarding due to/Because of...Replace "Due to" with "Caused by"...And if the sentence still makes sense with "caused by"..then due to can be used..else use "because of".....

[gmatissimple]

Due to - As a result of
Because of - On account of
Due to is an adjectival prepositional phrase, meaning it modifies a noun. It is commonly preceded by a form of the verb to be (be, is, are, was, were, etc.). Because it follows a be verb, it is considered a subject complement: It modifies the subject of the sentence. Ex: His loss was due to a broken tie rod.
In the above example, the adjectival prepositional phrase due to a broken tie rod follows was (a form of the verb to be) and modifies the subject of the sentence: His loss.
Because of is an adverbial prepositional phrase, meaning it modifies a verb. It usually answers the question, “Why?”
Ex: He lost because of a broken tie rod.
The adverbial prepositional phrase because of a broken tie rod follows the verb lost, as seen in this example, answers the question, “Why did he lose?”

One rule:

To be verb (am, is, are, was, were) + due to + Noun
Main verb + Because of + Noun Phrase.

[mitzi]

gmatissimple, Good reference!!!

[gmatissimple]

Thanks mitzi. I miss you in this forum. When are you going to write the test?
I am expect a good score from you.
Be heard.

[Shiv Shankar]

Due to means "caused by" It should only be used if it can be substituted with "caused by"
It does not mean the same thing as "because of."

Incorrect: The game was postponed due to rain.
Correct: The game was postponed because of rain.
Correct: The game's postponement was due to rain.

-Shiv

[farooq]

When you can ask questions from the sentences, you can choose "because of" instead of "due to".

Why it happened? Because of your mistake. (Due to you mistake..NOT GOOD)

Why they canceled the Train? They canceled the train because of heavy traffic. (they canceled the train due to heavy traffic- NOT GOOD)

[santroz]

Originally Posted by gmatissimple

Due to - As a result of
Because of - On account of
Due to is an adjectival prepositional phrase, meaning it modifies a noun. It is commonly preceded by a form of the verb to be (be, is, are, was, were, etc.). Because it follows a be verb, it is considered a subject complement: It modifies the subject of the sentence. Ex: His loss was due to a broken tie rod.
In the above example, the adjectival prepositional phrase due to a broken tie rod follows was (a form of the verb to be) and modifies the subject of the sentence: His loss.
Because of is an adverbial prepositional phrase, meaning it modifies a verb. It usually answers the question, “Why?”
Ex: He lost because of a broken tie rod.
The adverbial prepositional phrase because of a broken tie rod follows the verb lost, as seen in this example, answers the question, “Why did he lose?”

One rule:

To be verb (am, is, are, was, were) + due to + Noun
Main verb + Because of + Noun Phrase.

That's a learning for me ..thnks

[john.lau]

that make sense! thanks