Cause connectors Part 1 ( because and because of)

This section demonstrates the usage of several grammatical devices which show cause
Part 1: Because and because of
Because and because of are both used to introduce reasons.
- Because (not followed by of) must always be followed by a clause.A clause standing alone is a complete sentence (subject and verb). Because is a conjunction.
+Because + S+V
Ex: Because Lan was felling sick, she did not go to the school
In this example, we have:
'Lan' the subject
'was felling' the verb
+Because+ there +V+S
They arrived late because was a traffic jam
In this example, we have:
'was' the subject
'Traffic jam' the verb
-Because of is a preposition, it is generally followed  by a noun or noun phrase.
Ex: Because of her sickness, Lan didn't go to the school
 In this example, we have:
'her sickness' a noun
Another example of because of:
Because of feeling sick, Lan did't go to the supermarket.
In this example, we have:
'feeling sick' a verb+ing
Note:

Because of is often interchangeable with expression due to

Ex: They arrived late due to the traffic jam

In this example, we have:

'traffic jam' phare noun

Exercise: Choose the correct answer ( because or because of):

1. I came here                        because            because of  I want to talk to you.
2. Sorry! I am late                        because            because of  the traffic.
3. She got the best grades                        because            because of  she had worked hard.
4. Paul had a terrible accident                        because            because of  he was driving fast.
5. He couldn't run                        because            because of  his old age.
6. Leila left early                        because            because of  she was tired.
7. The meeting was postponed                          because            because of  the bad weather.
8. They were looking for a Japanese restaurant                          because            because of  they wanted to eat sushi for dinner.
9. Their new product didn't sell well                        because            because of  its poor quality.
10. I couldn't attend the meeting                        because            because of  I was very ill.
11.  I'm asking you                        because            because of  I want to know your opinion. 
12.  I was late this morning                        because            because of the traffic. 
13.  She can't drive                       because            because of  her blindness. 
14.  The bank closed down                        because            because of  the recession. 
15.  I came back                        because            because of  I'd forgotten my briefcase. 
16. We stopped playing football                        because            because of  the rain. 
17.  Tom is very difficult to understand                        because            because of  his weird accent. 
18.  Paul moved to Paris                        because            because of  his job. 
19.  John crashed his Truck                        because            because of  he was driving too fast. 
20. I cannot come                        because            because of  the weather.