"Cannot" Versus "Can Not"

I do not understand the memory trick. What is it meant to help one remember?

I agree that they mean the same thing, it is just a matter of emphasis.

@Dan Soto: we're only human buddy. Take it easy.

@Holly,

I would suggest that, before playing the part of "Grammar Nazi", that you first check for egregious errors in your composed reply before submitting it.

So, I have come to the conclusion that sense everyone is now spelling cannot as one word, I am going to start writing word like, willnot, havenot, shouldnot, maynot, couldnot and wouldnot! The first time I saw cannot spelled as one word was when I was about 30 (16 years ago). My sons first grade teacher sent a note home and she had written cannot, I corrected her and then she corrected me? Go figure.

A quick and dirty memory tip is to think of a magician taunting a rabbit with a carrot saying, "You cannot have the carrot." Extend the r's in "carrot" to the bottom of the line and, voila, the "carrot" turns into a "cannot."

this just makes me want to stomp baby rabbits ~ i just got some new wildland firefighter boots and a BA in English is one hell of a drug

why do we have contractions? I mean is it really because can not is so much longer to write than can't?? how ridiculous.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot break you out of prison because it is illegal."

"I'm sorry, but I can not break you out of prison because I lack the tools."

Rule: words together mean within your range of choice; it is connected to you like a tool. Apart means it is outside your control, it is too far away to wield.

Arguably "can not" is alwa

Actually there is a big difference between the two. For those of you who mentioned that the adverb "not" negates the verb "can" when it is written with two words "can not" I believe you have made a mistake. Certainly the word not is an adverb. The problem is that in most sentences where "can not" is correctly being used, the adverb "not" is actually applying to the following verb. For example, in the phrase "can not run" why do you necessarily have to have the adverb modify the first verb rather than the second.

I think of it this way: the word "can" has to do with ability. "Cannot" would be the same as "unable to" where as "can not" would be the same as "able to not." There's a big difference.

I cannot (am unable to) live without oxygen.

I can not (am able to not) pay my rent so that I could buy this TV. However, if I did not pay rent I would be evicted.

In the first sentence the person is physically unable to live without the oxygen. It would be wrong to say, "I can not live without oxygen." That would be saying that you had a choice to live without it or had the ability to live without it.

In the second sentence the person is able to not pay rent if they wanted to. Any of us could choose to not do something like that and ignore the possible consequences. The person has the money and wants to use it for buying a TV rather than for rent. If they had said, "I cannot pay my rent," it would imply that there is some actual inability to do so. Either they do not have the money, or don't have access to the money, or got in a car accident when trying to bring the check to the apartment, etc.

These are very different meanings. Generally speaking, when we use the contraction can't we mean that we are "unable to" do something. Many times (in today's common English) we will say that we are unable to do something that we actually can do. That would be using "cannot" or "unable to" in a hyperbolic sense. When someone says, "I can't bring myself to admit that it was my fault," they are not saying that they physically unable to say the words "it was my fault." Neither are they really meaning to say that they are "able to not" admit they were at fault. Obviously they could choose to not take fault. The point of their comment is to make a drastic statement about how difficult it is to admit they did something wrong.

Anyways, there's a difference between the two and sometimes we are not speaking literally when we use "cannot" or "can't." Languages change. Perhaps in the past there have been differences in usage. Today, however, when people say "can't" they are imply inability not possibility and there is a difference between the two.

Either is correct. To the commenter who believes that "can't" is a contraction of only "cannot" and not "can not", you are incorrect. It is a contraction either way. There is no correct word "wouldnot" yet the contraction for "would not" is "wouldn't".

It is a stylistic choice. I prefer to use two words as it seems more formal in my writing, though both forms are correct. Perhaps if GG had called one 'formal' and one 'common' it would make it easier.

Though, I agree, the example makes no sense to me.

Yea!!!

"can't i just simply eat as much as i want and still not gain weight" would dis sentence be gramatically incorrect??

can we start a sentence with cannot??give xamples plz!!!

can we start a sentence with cannot??give xamples plz!!!

@Derak 11/04/2011

Great example.

"A faster car can not only get you to your destination 'quicker,' but it can also get you there on time" [sic].

Excellent. I'd only add, to further the point: "However, it cannot save you from the ticket you may receive from reckless driving."

No, sir.

>can not

That means you have the ability not to do something.

>cannot

That means you are unable to do something. Consider the following:

>I can not sing.

That means I am able not to sing.

>I cannot sing

That means I am unable to sing.

You're welcome.

Please bring back the 10/4/2011 comment (one copy would be sufficient.) It really makes the 10/24/11 comment so much better.

Thisnis the most perfect article I have read. This is exactly correct.

Dear Grammer Girl,
I thought the point of a site like this would be to tell us what is proper grammer, not what is most commonly used.

I actually prefer can not, but MS keeps correcting me. It looks like the correct usage is still up for debate.

I think, in practice, very few people will get the wrong end of the stick whether someone uses 'can not' or 'cannot'.
However, when the two words are separated (ie can not) there is often a sense of someone being told that he or she is not allowed to do what follows (eg 'you can not be serious' ( in the style of John McEnroe). The reader or hearer is meant to take notice of the 'not', as there is an prohibitive imperative embedded in what was said. It would probably have had less force (and less resonance in our memories) if the famous phrase was written 'you cannot be serious'.
'Not' is being used as an emphatic proverb, as in you are 'not allowed'. Why is the 'not', in this cae, positioned before the 'allowed'? Probably, because it rolls off the tongue quite nicely; 'allowed not' is rather ugly, isn't it? Similarly, 'not can' is ugly, whereas, 'can not' sounds pleasant. Of course, people cahnge and invent phrases all the time to try to express something that conveys some fashionable references. As in 'no can do'.
I suppose the debate can go on..forever...

The example in the article doesn't make any sense! It's the most unhelpful example I could possibly have thought of...in no way does it show when to use either can not or cannot. Unless, of course, you're making reference to a carrot!!

I was always told that can not doesn't mean the same thing as cannot.

You can not go to the store.

You cannot go to the store.

The second sentence's use of cannot means a person, literally, can't go to the store.

The first sentence's use of can not means a person has the option of not going to the store; it's saying a person has the option not to do something.

Where "can not" trumps "cannot" example:
A faster car can not only allow you to get to your destination faster, but it can also get you there on time.

I think Bryce laid it out the most clearly, but here are my two little cents:

can x = ability to do x

can not x = ability to not do x
(as in, you don't have to do x)

cannot x = inability to do x

Hmmmm....after reading this thread (why did I do that!), I am left with one sobering question. Is it, "Shut up" or "Shutup"?

<sarcasm>wow the people in this comment feed seem to know a lot. Oh, did you hear my tone of sarcasm? sorry </sarcasm> But seriously, the tip is correct and factual, and to answer someones question, not only do "can not" and "cannot" mean the same exact thing, but they also sound the same when read, even in our heads (if you have that weird voice that reads to you like I do). So no, it would not make a difference in the flow whether you use "cannot" or "can not." just saying. and "can not" is especially used when you are writing something and you want it emphasized in a certain way, such as (and I'm taking this from another comment, so bare with me), “You can buy years of your parent’s life if you do well in life. Or you can not get that good job and not save your parent’s life." In this phrase, you are putting emphasis on both "can" and "not," so in this circumstance it would not be appropriate to use the combined form of the word.

I used to find these matters confusing until I learned another language. When one does that however, then the function of certain verbs, spelling variations, colloquial usages become clearer. "Can not" and "cannot" mean the same thing and are both correct, depending on style preference, i.e. scholarly writing etc. As for other certain comments that I have read, which speak to the finer, yet nevertheless erroneous, distinctions between "can not" and "cannot", I think everyone should look-up and take notice of "modal verbs" and "adverbs respectively. " A modal verb is a type of auxiliary verb that is used to refer to the main verbs modality, i.e. it's likelihood, ability, permission, or obligation. "Can" refers to a verbs ability "to be able to do" something . "not" is an adverb that answers the question of "how", "in what way", "when", "where", or "to what extent".

There seems to be a bunch of mythology about different shades of meaning between "can not" and "cannot." I checked the definition in the unabridged Merriam-Webster dictionary and “cannot” was defined as “can not.” They mean exactly the same thing.

Helpful comments, not so helpful article.

The comments were far more helpful than the tip.

I don't think one can properly say, "My brother looks to playing football this evening..."

How about "My brother wants to (or would like to or plans to) play football this evening but he probably won't be able to because it is raining (or is expected to rain) blah blah..."

Cannot won't work in this case because it implies the physical inability to do so...people can play football in the rain. You could say, "My brother wanted to watch the football game but he cannot because it has been cancelled due to rain."

For me, the main difference between can not and cannot is that when I type can not in WORD I get a green squiggly line underneath and the suggestion is that I should use cannot instead.

What about this use:

"Using x, scientists cannot only help determine a safe dose, but also identify . . . "

I stumbled over this sentence. Wouldn't it flow better if it were "can not"?

"Can not" and "cannot" are the same, but "can not" is the proper use of it. "Cannot" is merely modern slang.

The issue at hand though is clearly not "cannot" and "can not," but "can" and "may." "Can" expresses any thing's physical ability to perform an act. "May" is used to denote permission to do any given act.

In school as kids, whenever anybody asked, "Can I go to the bathroom?" my teacher would respond with, "I don't know. Can you?" We all learned the meaning of "may" rather quickly after that.

i would like to know the difference on the usage of could not and cannot.eg
sentence: my brother looks to playing football this evening but he could not as it rains cats and dogs
sentence: my brother looks to playing football this evening but he cannot as it rains cats and dogs. which sentence is right?

Wrong.

cannot, v.

Pronunciation: /'kæn?t/

the ordinary modern way of writing can not: see can v.

Oxford English Dictionary Second edition, 1989; online version November 2010.

This article was helpful. So they both mean the same thing? When writing cannot and can not, the usage would be correct in either way.

This was also helpful
"When you say "You can not eat ice-cream for dinner," you are claiming that the option to not eat ice-cream for dinner exists.

When you say "You cannot eat ice-cream for dinner," you are specifically claiming that eating ice-cream for dinner is NOT on option."

For shame, the comments were MUCH more helpful than the tip.

I knew cannot was a word. I wasn't sure about 'can not' but that whole magician trick about carrot turned to cannot was stupid.

Better luck next time.

"cannot" and "can not" do NOT mean the same thing, at all.

When you say "You can not eat ice-cream for dinner," you are claiming that the option to not eat ice-cream for dinner exists.

When you say "You cannot eat ice-cream for dinner," you are specifically claiming that eating ice-cream for dinner is NOT on option.

This may be more clear (but is fundamentally the same) when adding a modifier to "can not." For example, "You CAN always NOT right the roller coaster if you are afraid." vs. "You CANNOT ride the roller coaster if you are afraid." The former is announcing different options, the latter is basically a rule.

Also, the contraction "can't" is short for "cannot", not "can not"

A much simpler way to put it is that you use can not (two words) if you are referring to something that you "can" do, meaning something you are physically able to do. You use cannot (one word) for something you are not physically able to do.
In this example, the rabbit could physically have the carrot, it's just that the mean old magician won't give it to him. So this example makes no sense.

This was not at all helpful, which is disappointing because usually this is the best sight to go to for grammar. What on earth does a carrot have to do with the word cannot?

i was just asked what the difference between the two were by a teacher at my japanese school....*blink, blink, blink*...this was most helpful.

i was just asked what the difference between the two were by a teacher at my japanese school....*blink, blink, blink*...this was most helpful.

I am also seriusly confused about these case when it's just common to use "cannot" but I do read more often in reviews made by professianals "can not".

Examples :
1) You cannot see the moon from your home.
2) You can not see the moon from your home.


I told soemeone that the second option is the best but he replied this to me :

"cannot" is a word, and you use it in this sense because it is something that is impossible to do, not something that you chose NOT to do .

Very helpful. I have used cannot and can not before but just now, my MS-Word flagged "can not" so I decided to look it up.

I am now more clear on the usage of both.

Thank you to all.

I once read a distinction between "cannot" and "can not" in the context of alcohol addiction. "I cannot drink" suggests that drinking will result in loss of control. "I can not drink" is an affirmation that the alcoholic can actively refrain from drinking.

Another context: To forbid an action, a parent might tell a child "You cannot do X," emphasizing the statement verbally as "You canNOT do X." Here the child has no choice. However, as others have pointed out here, the parent could be offering a choice: "You can either not do X, or you can do it." Personally, I don't like that construction and would rephrase it to avoid using "can not."

Checking out the site for cannot and can not.

Be sure to avoid using Replace All to purge "can not" in favor of "cannot," as there are valid uses of this text string.

For example: "Smoking can not only shorten life expectancy, but also make you smell funky while you're still alive."

You might also run into "the can not chosen" or some such . . . better to search for "can not" and replace on a case-by-case basis.

The following helped clear it up for me:

"If I can not do something, then I can also do it. I can not write these words if I choose (and you may think I shouldn't), but I also can, and am, writing them. What I cannot do is know who will read them, or what they will think. I can imagine such things, but I'm limited by my experience and perceptions.

So this is the rule: if you either could or could not do something, then you use two words, because you can leave out the second word if you so choose. If you could not do something no matter how much you desired or tried, then you use one word, cannot. There is no other option."

Becaues of Grover's frustrations re: comments being "Lost in (cyber) Space," I won't include the link, but it comes from another site. Simply Google "cannot vs can not" and check the first site that's listed.

There is a difference I think, usually people mean cannot, but often you'll hear 'can not' with an emphasis on the not. 'You can *not* go to school and not get a good education'

So generally 'can not' implies an option.

Different from, "I cannot climb the tree because something is stopping me"

I'm not an expert, my 2 cents.

I've always thought that "can not" is not the same as "cannot". While It's true that "cannot" is the opposite of "can" and "cannot" and "can't " mean the same thing, "can not" introduces a conflict since "can" implies ability while "not" negates the succeeding verb.

"You can jump high" means you are able to jump high.

"You can NOT jump high" means you are able to "unable to jump high".

Another example is if you remove the can to make it a straightforward statement: "You jump high" is still grammatically correct, while "You NOT jump high" sounds like a caveman.

...but I could be wrong. And I appreciate if someone can clarify or explain why I was wrong in my assumption.

I think JT pointed out an important difference between the two.

can x = ability to do x
can not x = ability to not do x
cannot x = inability to do x

As a rule of thumb, use "cannot" in writing where you would use "can't" in speech

can not looks like a typo to me - I cannot figure out why someone would think it should be can not. But I like JD's great example: "You can go the cinema, or you can not go the cinema. I don't care." and I would put the "not" in italics. Gina's explanation also makes complete sense. use "can not" for special emphasis, or for a comparison, not necessarily in every day issues, such as "a mouse cannot be used to navigate the software." This is the usage my coworker told me was incorrect, which is why I looked this up. But I stand by it cannot is one word unless it's especially important to emphasize "not." That's my two cents, anyway.

"Can not," used in the sense of "fail to" or "decline to" is common in conversation - especially slangy teenage conversation - but it's a stumbling block when you see it in writing. Why use a vague, easily misunderstood phrase when there are better ways to write the same thing?

Lory's quote would be better written: "“If you do well in life, it will add years to your parents' lives. But if you don't get a good job, you may shorten their lives because they will worry about your future."

And JD's: "You can go the cinema, or you can do something else. It's up to you."

By the way, Lory, that's a heavy guilt trip to lay on somebody who can't find a good job. Isn't it bad enough being unemployed, without some jerk telling you that you're killing your parents?

GG, why do I keep getting this message when my submission does NOT contain either a link or a promotional message for a brand or web site?

"All comments containing a link or promotional messages for a brand or web site will be held for approval by the editors of this site."

I'll try again:

Lory, there are problems with the quote, so it's not a very useful example.

The meaning is confusing at first. The term "buy years" is misleading; it falsely suggests that years are somehow exchanged for money.

"Can not" do something, meaning "can fail to" do something, may be common in conversation, but it's a syntactical reversal ("can" is positive; "not" is negative) and it's also easily confuted with "cannot," so it's a poor choice, especially in written prose. The idea is much better expressed by the phrases "may fail to," "can be unable to," or "doesn't manage to."

The phrase "save a life" is also problematic. What's really meant is "extend the lives" or "add years to the lives of your parents."

Unless the "you" in the quote has only one parent, there's also a problem with the way the possessive of parents is punctuated. It should be "parents' lives." If the speaker is stating a general principle, "parents" should be plural.

Here's a rewrite that solves those problems and avoids the "can not" issue:

“If you do well in life, you may be adding years to your parents' lives. But if you fail to get that good job, their lives may be shortened by worry about your future."

By the way, the sentiment expressed by that quote is truly nasty and insensitive. It's bad enough not being able to find a good job; only an a__hole would tell you that your lack of success is killing your parents! Besides, there's no evidence that the parents of successful children live longer.

Wouldn't 'can not' technically mean one can (has the ability to) not x?

So,

'You can not got to school.' implies the ability to not attend class, while 'you cannot go to school' implies (as used in common speech) an inability to attend.

@Lory: Your example also has to take parallel structure into consideration because you have one "can" that has to match up with two "not"s. I don't think that "cannot" would be wrong -- no one would think that you meant "cannot not save your parents' life [sic]" -- it certainly has more appeal.

@joscie: What does "preferred" even mean? I prefer cannot and sauerkraut on my brat. Other people prefer "can not" and cannot stand the taste of sauerkraut.

As I mother I can tell you that "can not" is preferred when you are telling your teenager that she "can not" take the car. However, I "cannot" increase her allowance. It's like using their middle names when reprimanding them - it just seems to have more emphasis. The bigger the stakes, the longer the pause. That's how I decide. :-)

Someone I was quoting in a story said:

“You can buy years of your parent’s life if you do well in life. Or you can not get that good job and not save your parent’s life."

In this case, "can not" seemed more appropriate than cannot. Using "cannot," to me, would have changed the meaning: It's not possible.

Does this make sense to everyone?

I also have never used can not.

"You can go the cinema, or you can not go the cinema. I don't care."

I have to plead ignorance: I didn't even know that "can not" was ever appropriate. When is "can not" used?

while this is a helpful tip, does more common also mean preferred?