Aug 20, 2012 · Generally, people use can't in speech and informal writing, and cannot or can not in formal writing or very formal speech. Also (as @Kris points out in a comment), cannot might …

9 "cannot not say" would only rarely be used in English, and only in very specific circumstances. In particular, this is not a simple double negative. "cannot not" does not mean the same as …

Sep 19, 2023 · So here it’s about minimizing ambiguity: can not permits two interpretations, while cannot permits only one. Such care is critical in the language of mathematics. As another …

Dec 10, 2018 · Stick with cannot. Can't tends to be informal, and can not is usually considered a typo.

Oct 29, 2010 · Why is “cannot” spelled as one word whereas other similar constructions such as “do not,” “will not,” “shall not,” “may not” and “must not” are spelled as two words (unless they …

Dec 26, 2018 · It has frequently been remarked by students of language how often people get these around the wrong way, or use 'understate' when they mean 'overstate', for example here …

Jun 16, 2011 · I cannot find the tool, it is neither in the kitchen nor in the bathroom. I dislike that punctuation and I would either use a semicolon or make it two sentences. But if the sentence …

Sep 18, 2014 · If you suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, then you cannot control your impulses. You can't help it, but you exhibit undesirable behavior. There are other explanations …

Dec 2, 2011 · Cannot is the only negative form that contains not rather than -n't. Theoretically, since it is a single word, you can say why cannot you... without a problem. My theory is that …

Dec 12, 2017 · Is the following wording okay? He can not only do this, but also do that. In this case, it seems that the writer is dividing 'cannot' into two words. Is that acceptable?