Due to, owing to, because

Some of us are 'furiners' and need to be given a bit of slack too

Ah,we observe forum etiquette and don't correct another member's grammar or spelling, unless asked! It is not always easy for those of us who are retired English teachers, or pedants, or both!

Belated and to annodomini and Greatnan.

I feel much better now that not one of you has been rude about my appalling lack of grammar, let alone my misuse of due to.

I do feel a little bit bad that I might have caused Bags to overeat, but I often have a second breakfast myself due to /owing to/ because of (delete as applicable) my insatiable greed.

According to the BBC World Service site, there is now no distinction between 'due to' and 'owing to' but 'because of' is used in less formal contexts.

Lovely and , grossi. Due to my having just eaten breakfast number two as well, I'm now quite full I just ate my second breakfast as well, so I'm full now

Thanks to Grannyknot, kittylester and especially to Bags who can have double and for her useful link.

The thing is that I work with non-native English speakers and some native English speakers from countries other than England (trying hard not to be racist here). To them, things like choosing correctly between due to, owing to and because, are terribly important.

That's why I'd like to understand the noun/verb thing even though secretly I couldn't care less I am not sure how important it really is!

My English teacher was fussy about this but I think that nowadays it's a completely unnecessary distinction.

Have just read this article, which includes quotations from Fowler and references to dead horses. Know what? I think I'll stick with because of

I don't think I've ever known that 'due to' was to be used with nouns and 'owing to' with verbs. In fact, because I know the wrong usage bothers some people, I suppose I've tended to avoid either and use 'because of' or something else. Am now going on a google in search of dues and owings....

The osmotic method of learning grammar worked grossi I also understand the sentence.

I think I understood what you were saying grossi, so that seems ok to me.