The words “by” and “because of” are both used to indicate the reason behind an action or event. However, they are not interchangeable in all cases.

So What is the Difference Between By and Because?

“By” is a preposition that is used to indicate the means or method by which something is done. For example, “I travelled to Paris by train.” Here, “by” indicates the mode of transportation.

On the other hand, “because of” is a prepositional phrase that is used to indicate the cause of something. For example, “The concert was cancelled because of the rain.” Here, “because of” indicates the reason for the cancellation.

In some cases, “by” and “because of” can be used interchangeably. For example, consider the following sentences:

1. The project was completed by John.

2. The project was completed because of John.

Both sentences convey that John was responsible for completing the project. However, there is a subtle difference in meaning between them. The first sentence implies that John completed the project himself, while the second sentence implies that John played a role in completing the project but may not have completed it himself.

Here are some more examples:

• I woke up early by setting an alarm.

• I woke up early because of my alarm.

• The party was ruined by the loud music.

• The party was ruined because of the loud music.

In general, “by” is used to indicate the means or method by which something is done, while “because of” is used to indicate the cause of something. However, there are cases where they can be used interchangeably depending on the context.

Quiz on English Conventions - With Answers

Here’s a fill-in-the-blank quiz with 10 questions that tests the difference between “by” and “because of”. The answers are provided in brackets. This will help you understand the difference between the two clearly.

1. The cake was ruined ___ the oven temperature being too high. (because of)
2. The book was written ___ John. (by)
3. The concert was cancelled ___ the rain. (because of)
4. The painting was created ___ a famous artist. (by)
5. The party was ruined ___ the loud music. (because of)
6. The letter was delivered ___ the mailman. (by)
7. The project was completed ___ John. (by)
8. The meeting was postponed ___ a scheduling conflict. (because of)
9. The vase was broken ___ the cat knocking it over. (because of)
10. The song was composed ___ a famous musician. (by)

How to use By and Because correctly while writing?

Whether you are looking to prepare for PTE or trying to get a 8777 in IELTS, or trying to look for sample questions on English conventions that will help you get a 1500+ in the new Digital SAT, knowing the difference between the two and using them correctly either in speaking or writing are essential skills. So here are some samples to help you top-up what you just learnt.

10 More Sample Sentences for Use in Writing and Speaking

Here are 10 sentences that will help you understand the difference even more clearly! Sentence No.7 will be particularly useful in helping you understand the difference. 

Hey 🙋‍♀️ Looking to attend an awesome session, that too for free? Here's the chance!

Attend a Session

OTP Verification

Kindly wait for 5secs before retrying.

Invalid OTP. Kindly refresh the page and retry.

Verify

Loading...

Do enter the country code of your phone number.
Ex: +91 for India, +1 for the USA.

Where would you want to attend a demo

Ameerpet

Madhapur

Online

Which session would you like to try?

GRE

IELTS

TOEFL

PTE

OET

SAT

Others

Submit