Lesson Five

due to

“Due to” is very similar to “because of.” It gives a reason for why something is true. You can use “due to” with phrases and single words, but you can’t use “due to” with a clause.

examples

Traffic was very slow coming home today due to a heavy snowstorm.

(notice that after “due to” you can’t use a verb. )

cars in snow

Due to a broken wing, this bird can’t fly.

(This sentence begins with “due to” and is followed by a noun and a comma. It explains why the bird can’t fly.)

bird

His weight problem is due to overeating.

(You may use gerunds after “due to.” The word “overeating” in this example is a gerund. Gerunds are similar to nouns and end in “ing.”)

fat man

This woman lost her job due to the weak U.S. economy, and now she has to beg in the street for money.

(Social problems are often explained with the use of “due to.”

homeless woman

Due to rapid global warming, many polar bears are unable to adapt to a new environment and now they are starving to death.

polar bear

Their marriage ended due in large part to a lack of communication.

(Notice that “due to” is sometimes separable.)

man ignores wife