Due to vs Because of

Question 1

Is Due to used to modify verb or noun?

Answer 1

We use “due to” to modify noun and cannot use it to modify verb, see below example

a. Robert failed in his exam due to a lack of preparedness on his part

The above construction is not correct because we need to provide reason of “failed” which is a verb, so “due to” is modifying verb but that construction is invalid. To use due to we need to restructure the sentence a bit

b. Robert failure in his exam is due to lack of preparedness

In above sentence we are giving the reason of “failure” which is a noun, hence construction b is valid

Question 2

Is because of used to modify verb or noun?

Answer 2

Verbs

a. I think he failed in his exam because of his over-confidence

In the above construction, “because” modifies the action word “failed” hence the usage of because is correct

Question 3

How to check whether the usage of “Due to” is correct or not?

Answer 3

Replace “Due to” by “caused by” and if the construction makes sense then the usage is correct, else incorrect

a. Robert failed in his exam due to a lack of preparedness on his part
b. Robert failed in his exam caused by a lack of preparedness on his part

Caused by is modifying the noun exam, implying exam was caused by lack of preparedness, this is incorrect

c. Robert failure in his exam is due to lack of preparedness
d. Robert failure in his exam is caused by lack of preparedness

The above is a valid construction and makes logical sense