Because vs. Because of – English Grammar Exercises for B1
You are writing a1-star review to warn others about a terrible restaurant. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
1 “I am leaving this 1-star review ______ the absolutely terrible service we received last night.”
(A) because
(B) because of
(C) since
(D) as
2 “We had to wait over an hour for a table ______ the manager was completely disorganized.”
(A) because of
(B) due to
(C) because
(D) owing to
3 “I will never eat at this restaurant again ______ the extremely rude staff.”
(A) because
(B) since
(C) as
(D) because of
4 “My pasta arrived completely cold ______ the waiter left it sitting on the counter for twenty minutes.”
(A) because of
(B) because
(C) due to
(D) owing to
5 “Several other customers actually walked out ______ the unbearable heat inside the dining room.”
(A) because
(B) because of
(C) since
(D) as
6 “______ we politely complained about the dirty glasses, the waitress just rolled her eyes at us.”
(A) Because of
(B) Due to
(C) Owing to
(D) Because
7 “I cannot recommend this place to anyone ______ its terrible hygiene standards.”
(A) because
(B) because of
(C) since
(D) as
8 “The manager refused to give us a refund ______ he claimed we had already eaten half the meal.”
(A) because of
(B) due to
(C) because
(D) owing to
9 “______ the insanely high menu prices, you would expect the food to actually taste good.”
(A) Because
(B) Since
(C) Because of
(D) As
10 “We decided to cancel our dessert order ______ it was taking way too long to prepare.”
(A) because of
(B) due to
(C) because
(D) owing to
11 “Our entire evening was ruined ______ the loud and obnoxious music playing in the background.”
(A) because
(B) since
(C) as
(D) because of
12 “I woke up with a terrible stomachache this morning, probably ______ the undercooked chicken.”
(A) because
(B) because of
(C) since
(D) as
13 “______ there was a large hair in my soup, I lost my appetite immediately.”
(A) Because of
(B) Due to
(C) Because
(D) Owing to
14 “Avoid this place at all costs ______ their awful customer service and bad attitude.”
(A) because
(B) since
(C) because of
(D) as
15 “The steak was absolutely impossible to chew ______ it was so burnt and dry.”
(A) because of
(B) due to
(C) owing to
(D) because
16 “______ a sudden change in management, the overall quality of this place has dropped significantly.”
(A) Because
(B) Since
(C) As
(D) Because of
17 “We left zero tip on the table ______ the waiter ignored us for the entire night.”
(A) because of
(B) due to
(C) because
(D) owing to
18 “It is quite sad to see this local business fail ______ a total lack of professionalism.”
(A) because
(B) because of
(C) since
(D) as
19 “Please save your hard-earned money and go somewhere else ______ this restaurant is a scam.”
(A) because of
(B) due to
(C) because
(D) owing to
20 “I am reporting this business to the health inspector ______ the disgusting state of their restrooms.”
(A) because
(B) since
(C) as
(D) because of
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The absolutely terrible service…” is a noun phrase. There is no verb here. Therefore, the preposition because of is required.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) are conjunctions that require a full clause (Subject + Verb).
2 (C) because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The manager was completely disorganized” is a full clause (Subject + Verb). Therefore, the conjunction because is required.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) are prepositions that must be followed by a noun phrase, not a clause.
3 (D) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The extremely rude staff” is a noun phrase. -> because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) require a full clause.
4 (B) because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The waiter left it…” is a full clause. -> because.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) require a noun phrase.
5 (B) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The unbearable heat inside the dining room” is a noun phrase. -> because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) require a full clause.
6 (D) Because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “We politely complained…” is a full clause. -> Because.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) require a noun phrase.
7 (B) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Its terrible hygiene standards” is a noun phrase. -> because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) require a full clause.
8 (C) because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “He claimed…” is a full clause. -> because.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) require a noun phrase.
9 (C) Because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The insanely high menu prices” is a noun phrase. -> Because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) require a full clause.
10 (C) because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It was taking…” is a full clause. -> because.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) require a noun phrase.
11 (D) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The loud and obnoxious music playing…” acts as a noun phrase (with a participle modifier). There is no main verb for this section. -> because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) require a full clause.
12 (B) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The undercooked chicken” is a noun phrase. -> because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) require a full clause.
13 (C) Because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “There was a large hair…” is a full clause. -> Because.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) require a noun phrase.
14 (C) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “Their awful customer service and bad attitude” is a compound noun phrase. -> because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) require a full clause.
15 (D) because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “It was so burnt and dry” is a full clause. -> because.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) require a noun phrase.
16 (D) Because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “A sudden change in management” is a noun phrase. -> Because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) require a full clause.
17 (C) because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The waiter ignored us…” is a full clause. -> because.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) require a noun phrase.
18 (B) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “A total lack of professionalism” is a noun phrase. -> because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (C), and (D) require a full clause.
19 (C) because
- Why it is correct (The Key): “This restaurant is a scam” is a full clause. -> because.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (D) require a noun phrase.
20 (D) because of
- Why it is correct (The Key): “The disgusting state of their restrooms” is a noun phrase. -> because of.
- Distractor Analysis: (A), (B), and (C) require a full clause.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
1 Clause vs. Noun Phrase (The Core Rule)
To express reasons, you must identify what type of grammatical structure follows the blank:
- Use Because (or Since, As) when followed by a Clause (Subject + Verb).
- Example: I am angry because the food was cold.
- Use Because of (or Due to, Owing to) when followed by a Noun Phrase, a Pronoun, or a Gerund (V-ing).
- Example: I am angry because of the cold food.
2 The Communicative Power of “Because of” in Reviews
When writing a review, your goal is to be impactful. “Because of” allows you to condense a long, descriptive sentence into a sharp, heavy-hitting noun phrase. It highlights the exact flaw of the business instantly, making your criticism feel like a direct strike.
- Wordy (Clause): I gave 1 star because the staff was rude.
- Punchy (Noun Phrase): I gave 1 star because of the rude staff.
3 Typical Vocabulary Combinations for Negative Reviews
Notice how because of combines perfectly with negative nouns to form strong complaints:
- …because of the terrible service.
- …because of the unbearable heat.
- …because of the insane prices.
- …because of the lack of hygiene.