"Due To" vs "Owing To" / "Because Of" in Technical English
5 exercises — practise "due to", "owing to", and "because of" precision in postmortems and status reports.
0 / 23 completed
1 / 23
Which sentence correctly uses "due to" as an adjective phrase after a linking verb?
"The delay was due to an unexpected spike in database load" is correct: "due to" here functions as an adjective phrase after the linking verb "was", correctly modifying the subject "delay". Option B uses "due to" after an action verb ("happened"), which is traditionally considered less correct in formal style (a preposition like "because of" fits action verbs better). Option C incorrectly follows "due to" with a full clause ("we had"), but "due to" must be followed by a noun phrase, not a clause. Option D reverses cause and effect, producing a meaningless fragment.
2 / 23
Choose the sentence that correctly uses "because of" as an adverbial phrase modifying an action verb.
"The deployment failed because of a missing environment variable" is correct: "because of" is a prepositional phrase that correctly modifies the action verb "failed", followed by a noun phrase. Option B incorrectly combines "due to" with "of", which is not a valid expression. Option C incorrectly uses "because of" as if it were an adjective phrase after a linking verb, which is unnatural ("due to" fits that slot instead). Option D drops "of", but plain "because" requires a full clause, not just a noun phrase.
3 / 23
Which sentence correctly uses "owing to" in a formal postmortem, followed by a noun phrase?
"Owing to a misconfigured firewall rule, external traffic was blocked for two hours" is correct: "owing to", like "because of", is a formal prepositional phrase followed directly by a noun phrase. Option B incorrectly follows it with a full "that"-clause, which "owing to" cannot take. Option C incorrectly drops "to", but "owing" alone is not the fixed preposition. Option D incorrectly adds "of" after "owing to", duplicating the preposition.
4 / 23
Select the sentence that correctly avoids using "due to" as a sentence-initial adverbial before an action verb, in the strictest formal style.
"Because of increased load on the queue, message processing slowed significantly" is correct: in the strictest formal usage, "because of" (or "owing to") is preferred to open a sentence modifying an action verb, reserving "due to" for adjective-like slots after linking verbs. Option B incorrectly combines "due to" with "of". Option C misplaces "due to" mid-sentence with no clear noun to modify, producing a nonsensical fragment. Option D incorrectly drops "to" after "owing".
5 / 23
Which sentence correctly shows "due to" modifying a noun within a noun phrase, not the whole clause?
"Errors due to network timeouts were the most common category in the logs" is correct: here "due to network timeouts" functions as an adjective phrase directly modifying the noun "errors", a core, universally accepted use of "due to". Option B is a garbled, ungrammatical construction with a stray "due" at the end. Option C uses "because of", which is more naturally adverbial and reads awkwardly modifying a bare noun without a verb. Option D incorrectly omits "to" after "due".
6 / 23
During a post-incident review for the recent database outage, Sarah stated: 'The outage was due to a misconfigured firewall.' Which sentence best reflects the appropriate usage of 'due to' in this context?
In this formal setting, 'due to' functions as an adjective phrase explaining the cause. Option 1 correctly structures it to modify 'outage' – it's not acting as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb. Options 2 and 3 are grammatically awkward; option 4 uses less precise phrasing ('because of').
7 / 23
In a Slack message to the team regarding a delayed deployment, David wrote: 'The delay is owing to increased testing requirements.' What does this sentence primarily convey?
'Owing to' signals that testing is the *reason* or cause behind the delay. It's a more formal way of saying 'because of,' indicating a causal relationship rather than simply stating that testing was involved. Options 1 and 3 misinterpret the function of 'owing to,' while option 4 introduces an inappropriate judgmental tone.
8 / 23
In a PR description explaining a change to the API endpoint, Liam wrote: 'The change was due to increased user demand.' Which of the following best represents the intended meaning?
'Due to' here indicates that 'increased user demand' is the *reason* for the change. The sentence clearly conveys the causal relationship – the demand prompted the modification. Options 1 and 3 present a less precise connection, while option 4 describes a completely different action.
9 / 23
During a post-incident review for the recent database outage, Sarah stated: 'The outage was due to a misconfigured firewall.' Which sentence best reflects the appropriate usage of 'due to' in this context?
In this formal setting, 'due to' functions as an adjective phrase explaining the cause. Option 1 correctly structures it to modify 'outage' – it's not acting as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb. Options 2 and 3 are grammatically awkward; option 4 uses less precise phrasing ('because of').
10 / 23
In a Slack message to the team regarding a delayed deployment, David wrote: 'The delay is owing to increased testing requirements.' What does this sentence primarily convey?
'Owing to' signals that testing is the *reason* or cause behind the delay. It's a more formal way of saying 'because of,' indicating a causal relationship rather than simply stating that testing was involved. Options 1 and 3 misinterpret the function of 'owing to,' while option 4 introduces an inappropriate judgmental tone.
11 / 23
In a PR description explaining a change to the API endpoint, Liam wrote: 'The change was due to increased user demand.' Which of the following best represents the intended meaning?
'Due to' here indicates that 'increased user demand' is the *reason* for the change. The sentence clearly conveys the causal relationship – the demand prompted the modification. Options 1 and 3 present a less precise connection, while option 4 describes a completely different action.
12 / 23
During a post-incident review for the recent database outage, Sarah stated: 'The outage was due to a misconfigured firewall.' Which sentence best reflects the appropriate usage of 'due to' in this context?
In this formal setting, 'due to' functions as an adjective phrase explaining the cause. Option 1 correctly structures it to modify 'outage' – it's not acting as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb. Options 2 and 3 are grammatically awkward; option 4 uses less precise phrasing ('because of').
13 / 23
In a Slack message to the team regarding a delayed deployment, David wrote: 'The delay is owing to increased testing requirements.' What does this sentence primarily convey?
'Owing to' signals that testing is the *reason* or cause behind the delay. It's a more formal way of saying 'because of,' indicating a causal relationship rather than simply stating that testing was involved. Options 1 and 3 misinterpret the function of 'owing to,' while option 4 introduces an inappropriate judgmental tone.
14 / 23
In a PR description explaining a change to the API endpoint, Liam wrote: 'The change was due to increased user demand.' Which of the following best represents the intended meaning?
'Due to' here indicates that 'increased user demand' is the *reason* for the change. The sentence clearly conveys the causal relationship – the demand prompted the modification. Options 1 and 3 present a less precise connection, while option 4 describes a completely different action.
15 / 23
git commit -m "Fix: Resolved issue with API endpoint latency"
During a code review, Mark commented: 'This change was due to the recent scaling issues.' Which option best reflects the most appropriate phrasing for this context?
While 'insufficient capacity' and 'degraded connections' are potential contributing factors, 'due to' in this case most accurately indicates the *reason* for the latency – specifically, increased traffic. Using 'owing to' would be overly formal here. Importantly, the question is about explaining a technical problem, not diagnosing a fundamental infrastructure failure.
In a Slack message to the team regarding an API error, Emily wrote: 'The 500 status code is owing to unexpected server downtime.' What is the primary purpose of this sentence?
The sentence clearly explains *why* the 500 status code occurred – the server downtime. 'Owing to' is appropriate here because it's explaining the reason for an observed API response. Options A and B are inappropriate; a Slack message isn't a formal support ticket, and 'owing to' doesn't imply a need for immediate action.
During a standup update, John stated: 'The reduction in the discount is due to the new pricing strategy.' Which of the following best captures the intended meaning?
'Due to' is used here to explain the *cause* of the discount reduction—the new pricing strategy. It's a clear and concise explanation of the reason behind a change. Options B, C, and D offer alternative explanations that aren't directly related to the discount itself.
18 / 23
const data = { name: 'User', id: 123 };
In a PR description for a database schema update, Alex wrote: 'The addition of the 'user_id' field was due to increased user demand.' What is the most accurate interpretation of this statement?
The sentence indicates that the 'user_id' field was created *because* there's more user demand. This is a common pattern when describing changes to data structures – demand drives new fields. The other options describe potential improvements or optimizations, not the direct cause of the schema change.
19 / 23
git commit -m "Fix: Resolved issue with API endpoint latency"
During a code review, Mark commented: 'This change was due to the recent scaling issues.' Which option best reflects the most appropriate phrasing for this context?
While 'insufficient capacity' and 'degraded connections' are potential contributing factors, 'due to' in this case most accurately indicates the *reason* for the latency – specifically, increased traffic. Using 'owing to' would be overly formal here. Importantly, the question is about explaining a technical problem, not diagnosing a fundamental infrastructure failure.
In a Slack message to the team regarding an API error, Emily wrote: 'The 500 status code is owing to unexpected server downtime.' What is the primary purpose of this sentence?
The sentence clearly explains *why* the 500 status code occurred – the server downtime. 'Owing to' is appropriate here because it's explaining the reason for an observed API response. Options A and B are inappropriate; a Slack message isn't a formal support ticket, and 'owing to' doesn't imply a need for immediate action.
During a standup update, John stated: 'The reduction in the discount is due to the new pricing strategy.' Which of the following best captures the intended meaning?
'Due to' is used here to explain the *cause* of the discount reduction—the new pricing strategy. It's a clear and concise explanation of the reason behind a change. Options B, C, and D offer alternative explanations that aren't directly related to the discount itself.
22 / 23
const data = { name: 'User', id: 123 };
In a PR description for a database schema update, Alex wrote: 'The addition of the 'user_id' field was due to increased user demand.' What is the most accurate interpretation of this statement?
The sentence indicates that the 'user_id' field was created *because* there's more user demand. This is a common pattern when describing changes to data structures – demand drives new fields. The other options describe potential improvements or optimizations, not the direct cause of the schema change.
23 / 23
Sarah is reviewing a code change that adds a new field to the user database. The commit message reads: 'The addition of the `user_id` field was due to increased user demand.' Which of the following best explains Sarah's understanding?
Sarah correctly interprets that 'due to' indicates a causal relationship. The increased user demand directly *caused* the need for the `user_id` field. Options A and C misinterpret 'due to' as indicating an underlying problem or unrelated action; option B accurately reflects the given cause-and-effect.
What will I practise in ""Due To" vs "Owing To" / "Because Of" in Technical English — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise distinguishing the adjective phrase "due to" from the adverbial phrases "owing to" and "because of" in postmortems, incident reports, and status
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 23 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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