<p>is this a valid grammatical point? It was the explanation for a grubers answer....</p>
<p>From my guide:</p>
<p>
A specific diction error: due to versus because of : There are some less conservative grammar sources that support the interchangeability of due to and because of . Nonetheless, most references maintain the distinction, and it is possible that this could appear on the SAT. Luckily, the rule is straightforward: due to functions adjectively, and because of functions adverbially. That is, due to modifies nouns; because of modifies verbs. Consider this lot of examples; in each case the phrase that I choose is the only correct one, according to this distinction:</p>
<p>My failure was due to my lack of success.</p>
<p>I failed because of my lack of success.</p>
<p>That is due to his pet snake.</p>
<p>I said that because of my pet snake’s forcing me to do so.</p>
<p>Because of the weather, I am hungry.</p>
<p>My hunger is due to the weather.</p>
<p>This means that the only time that one can grammatically begin a sentence with Due to is when a participial phrase is being employed, as in:</p>
<p>Due to the weather, the storm went home.</p>
<p>If we are following the technical distinction, we know that the storm is due to the weather, but we do not know why the storm went home. If, however, the writer is not following the rule, the storm could have gone home because of the weather. This latter meaning “should” have been communicated thus:</p>
<p>Because of the weather, the storm went home.</p>
<p>I guess we’ll never know.
</p>
<p>This is unlikely to appear on the SAT, however.</p>
<p>“Due to…” actually was on the SAT today.</p>
webass
October 9, 2010, 6:36pm
4
<p>It wasn’t the correct answer.</p>
<p>Yeah, I know, I just remember it being on the test.</p>
<p>^^ nice question YOW. Wondering that too actually… and @silverturtle … i like your guide but sometimes i have trouble even understanding it… tips on that?</p>
<p>My AP English teacher told us that you should never start a sentence with ‘due to’.