Differences between because of, due to, owing to, thanks to.

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Could anyone tell me how to use them correctly? In detail, what makes them different? Functions and meanings? Thanks.

2

Hi,
In general, they are the same.However, “due to” & “owning to”, are more formal than “because of”.In other words, in spoken English it is more usual to use “because of”.They are used to say who or what causes smth to happen/is the reason for smth.
But “thanks to” is used to explain why smth good has happened:Thanks to the success of his first album, he is now a wealthy man.
Hope that helps,
Morteza

3

Thank you but what about their parts of speech? Some say due to is an adverbial phrase while because of and owing to are prepositional phrases. And sometimes, they even force me to use them more correctly. They keep on saying that they have a bit difference in meaning. I really don’t understand it and forget all right then.

4

Hi,
I think they are wrong because all of them are prepositions and come immediately before a noun.They are not conjunctions; they cannot connect two parts of a sentence.
Also, there is no need to be too meticulous in the use of the words;-)
Cheers,
Morteza