Main Difference – Because vs Because of
The difference between Because and Because of often confuse people. Oftentimes we try to use these two words interchangeably, without success. Both these terms are used to introduce a cause or reason. The basic difference between because and because of is that because is a conjunction and because of is a preposition. Let us further elaborate this difference in this article.
Because – Meaning and Usage
As mentioned earlier, because is a subordinating conjunction. It is used at the beginning of a clause, before the subject and verb. Because is used to introduce the cause or reason for a particular action or a happening.
“He did not go school because he felt ill.”
“He did it because he felt that it was his duty.”
“Everyone left the party because the host was not feeling well.”
Keep in mind that Because and its clause can be used at the beginning of a sentence as well.
“I came home early because I finished work fast.”→ “Because I finished work fast, I came home early.”
“I went to her office because she had forgotten her briefcase at home”→ “Because she had forgotten her briefcase at home I went to her office.”
“I didn’t talk to my sister because I was angry with her.” → “Because I was angry with my sister, I didn’t talk to her.”
But keep in mind that if you are including because and its clause, you must always use a comma at the end of the first clause. You can observe this rule in the above examples.
She passed the exam because she studied well.
Because of – Meaning and Usage
‘Because of’ is a two-word preposition and can be used before a pronoun or a noun phrase. ‘Because of’ gives out the meaning ‘on account of ‘or ‘by reason of‘.
“We were late because of the rain.”
“I tolerated him because of you.”
Because of can be used with an -ing- verb as well. For example, consider the sentence; ‘He did not go to school, because of his illness.‘ This statement can be written as ‘because of feeling ill, he did not go to school.’
Just like, ‘Because’, ‘because of’ can be used at the beginning of a sentence as well.
“He finally became rich because of his hard work and dedication.”→ “Because of his hard work and dedication, he finally became rich.”
I got late because of the traffic.
Difference Between Because and Because of
Synonyms
Because: Some synonyms include ‘since,’ ‘as,’ ‘for the reason that,’ and ‘in view of the fact that.’
Because of: Some synonyms include ‘on account of,’ ‘as a result of,’ ‘as a consequence of,’ ‘due to’
Nature
Because: This is a conjunction.
Because of: This is a preposition.
Formation
Because: This is used at the beginning of a clause before a subject and a verb.
Because of: This is used before a noun phrase or a verb of -ing form.
Usage
Because: This is mainly used to combine two complete sentences.
Because of: This combines a sentence and a noun phrase.
