Due to Vs Because of

Due to - As a result of
Because of - On account of

Due to is an adjectival prepositional phrase, meaning it modifies a noun. It is commonly preceded by a form of the verb to be (be, is, are, was, were, etc.). Because it follows a be verb, it is considered a subject complement: It modifies the subject of the sentence.

Ex: His loss was due to a broken tie rod.

In the above example, the adjectival prepositional phrase due to a broken tie rod follows was (a form of the verb to be) and modifies the subject of the sentence: His loss.

Because of is an adverbial prepositional phrase, meaning it modifies a verb. It usually answers the question, “Why?”

Ex: He lost because of a broken tie rod.

The adverbial prepositional phrase because of a broken tie rod follows the verb lost, as seen in this example, answers the question, “Why did he lose?”