"Because of" needs to be followed by a noun or a noun clause: "He gained weight because of chocolate." "He liked her because of her wonderful personality." "He liked her because of the fact that her personality was wonderful." "Because" is a conjunction that joins two complete thoughts together: "He gained weight because chocolate made him fat." "He liked her because she is fun to be with." "Because" cannot be followed by a noun. It is incorrect to say "He gained weight because chocolate" although people will say things like this sometimes just to be funny. When they say things like this, they are using the bad grammar to create a joke.

Great question. I never thought about (because of) and (because). I want to know if a grammar rule exists too. Examples: Because of your actions, I now have to hire a lawyer. <---- Correct Because your actions, I now have to..... <---------Incorrect (sounds strange). I only did it because of my situation <-------Correct I only did it because my situation <----- Incorrect

Only because is enough in the normal conversation.

Yes, there is a distinction between "because" and "because of" in terms of their usage in sentences. "Because": "Because" is a subordinating conjunction used to introduce a reason or cause. It typically introduces a subordinate clause. Example: "She stayed home because she was feeling sick." "Because of": "Because of" is a prepositional phrase used to indicate the reason or cause of something. It is followed by a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase. Example: "She stayed home because of her illness." Here's a general guideline to help you decide when to use each: Use "because" when the reason is a complete clause (i.e., it has a subject and a verb). Use "because of" when the reason is a noun or a noun phrase. However, there are exceptions and nuances in usage. For instance: In casual speech, people often use "because" in situations where "because of" would technically be more grammatically correct, but the meaning is still clear and understood. There might be instances where "because of" is followed by a clause, especially in formal writing, but it's less common. In summary, while there's a guideline to distinguish between the two, context and register can influence their usage.