"Owing To" versus "Due To"

[M. Robert Gibson]

Could the grammarians on here explain the correct usage of these two phrases?

I've done the usual internet digging, but owing to due to because of my lack of intelligence, I've never actually found a satisfactory answer.
Here's a link to an in-depth answer What is the difference between "owing to" and "due to"?

and here's a link to simple answer "Owing to" vs "due to", "because of", etc.

Is it as simple as suggested that 'due to' is applied to nouns and verbs use 'owing to'?

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

Stackexchange is a source I usually trust, and that bit about 'since due to is widely used and understood, there seems little reason to avoid using it as a preposition' seems perfectly reasonable, especially given the number of folk who argue that sticking with a 'more correct' but out-dated meaning is just a tad compulsive.

So saying, I personally tend to avoid use of the present participle whenever possible, which would rule out 'owing to', for me, in most cases. There's no particular reason behind it, it's simply that I think the present participle/gerund is being widely abused.

 

[The Judge]

I was only very dimly aware of this issue, but I've skim read the comments in the two links to bring myself more or less up to speed. Although I'm fussier than most people on points of English language use, this isn't one for which I'm prepared to go to the barricades.

If it's of help, my Oxford Dictionary of English says:

Due to in the sense 'because of', as in he had to retire due to an injury, has been condemned as incorrect on the grounds that due is an adjective and should not be used as a preposition; owing to is often recommended as a better alternative. However, the prepositional use, first recorded at the end of the 19th century, is now common in all types of literature and is regarded as part of standard English.

The ODE tends to err on the side of laxness as far as I'm concerned, but on this point I'm happy to agree with it.

I'd very rarely use "owing to"myself, simply because I dislike the feel of it (yes, I know, very rational...) so I'd use "due to" or more often, particularly in less formal situations, "thanks to" about which there appears to be no controversy, at least not according to the ODE!

If you're worried about the distinction between the two and of upsetting an uber-pedant by using "due to" incorrectly, use "because of" or "as a result of" instead, both of which are unobjectionable.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

If you're worried about the distinction between the two and of upsetting an uber-pedant by using "due to" incorrectly, use "because of" or "as a result of" instead, both of which are unobjectionable.

Speaking as one of the aforementioned, I have to say I was unaware of this debate. I also rarely use "owing to" and have probably used it incorrectly in those rare instances. I will now, however, due to this thread, find myself using it all the time and questioning its every move.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

I will now, however, due to this thread, find myself using it all the time and questioning its every move.

So given the simple usage ('due to' for nouns and verbs for 'owing to'), could this have been reworded as:

I will now, however, owing to reading this thread, find myself using it all the time and questioning its every move.

Which does sound somewhat strained. I might just stick to using 'because of'

upsetting an uber-pedant

I worked with one who used to be a proof-reader and who took great joy in pointing out these grammatical blunders. However, due to him, I now say 'fewer than' in all the correct places, rather than 'less than'

 

[Ursa major]

Instead of seeing these as issues of getting it right (according to some or other authoritative source), try thinking of them as opportunities to differentiate the way one's characters use words when they speak.

For the more adventurous, the various versions can be used in the narrative to reinforce, in the mind of the reader, just who the current PoV is in a multi-PoV novel.

Alternatively, they could be exchanged when what one has written doesn't flow as well as one would like.

 

[ZlodeyVolk]

Cat among the pigeons:

I worked with one who used to be a proof-reader and who took great joy in pointing out these grammatical blunders. However, thanks to him …