cannot vs. can not

"Cannot" means the exact same thing as "can not". They both mean the same things. The only exception is when "not" is being applied to a verb other than "can".

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@Henri - OK I misunderstood your argument. I thought you meant "may" for permission, but in fact you're talking about possibility. What I think you're really saying is "I might go, then on the other hand I might not go".

But I wouldn't say that that's a very common use of "can not" nor that it's the only possible meaning. We can use it when we want to stress the "not" for example. But Burchfield writing in the New Modern Fowler's suggest that it's also simply a matter of preference; he says he usually writes "can not" rather than "cannot" for example.

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@Henri - do you have any evidence to back you up there. Every dictionary I've looked at has cannot =can not, without any qualification.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage has several examples of "cannot" meaning "may not", including one from the original language maven, William Safire, who used to write on English at the New York Times - "You can flout convention and flout authority, but you cannot use use flaunt for flout". At the time a correspondent complained to Safire that he should have said "may not", but MWDEU say "this usage is so clear and firmly established in writing on usage that it shouldn't be quibbled at"

There is no suggestion of this difference either in the original Fowle's or in the Third Edition.

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Cannot and can not are both acceptable English, but they have different meanings.

"I can not" is stronger form of of "may not". It is possible that I can't, but the the possibility that I can is not excluded.
Example: I can or I can not go somewhere.

"I cannot" means that it is impossible.
Example: I cannot go anywhere

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Whatever idiot out there is trying to dictate the spelling of 'cannot' obviously needs better things to do with their time. Um, 'can not' looks way better and if people are freaking out about it than they obviously have control issues

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Sorry again. That should have course read "which is better in negative statements", NOT "which is better in positive statement." Silly me!

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Sorry, that's not distancing, but a polite form.

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"Both the one-word form cannot and the two-word form can not are acceptable, but cannot is more common (in the Oxford English Corpus, three times as common). The two-word form is better only in a construction in which not is part of a set phrase, such as ‘not only ... but (also)’ " Oxford Dictionaries Online

@e2e4 - You bring up an interesting point about the question form, and as you say "cannot" doesn't work there, but for the very good reason that in question form when the auxiliary is not contracted, "not" comes after the inverted subject:

"Didn't she say she was coming?", but "Did she not say she was coming?"
"Haven't I seen you before?", but "Have I not seen you before?"
"Won't you do as I ask?", but "Will you not do as I ask?"
"Can't you go there?", but "Can you not go there?"

But "cannot" is in a class all of of its own. I don't think the fact that we can't/cannot/can not use it in question form has any bearing on which is better in positive statements.

As for your other point, it is fine to use "could" as the past of "can" when talking about general ability in the past - "At the age of four he could already read and write", but not to talk about ability on a a specific occasion - "I locked myself out last night, but was able to get in through a back window" - NOT - "I could get in through a back window". In negatives though, "couldn't" works for both general and specific ability in the past - "I couldn't find my keys last night".

Modals don't really have tense, but on certain occasions, such as reported speech, four modals can act as the past of others, so: will>would, can>could, shall>should, may>might.

Incidentally my grammar books warn against simply seeing "could" and "would" as the past of "can" and "will", as they also have several other functions, like for example, distancing - "Could you pass me the jam, please?"

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I cannot believe I found a blog about the words "cannot" and "can not" , this can not be happening....lol.

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In my humble opinion, 'can' is not noun but modal. It doesn't change its form.
Both 'tomorrow' and 'today' - given as supporting examples - are nouns.

1. Can you not go there?
2. Cannot you go there?

Which one's correct sentence? First one for me.

I also do not like hearing 'could' is the past simple of 'can'.
Grammarians mostly say the modals can not be conjugated after which they say 'could' is the past tense of 'can'. Interesting.

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Ugh. . . I can not choose to proofread my comments before I post, but then I cannot prevent spelling and grammatical errors in my work.

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Can not and cannot have 2 different meaning. You have the ability to not do something, which is where you would use "can not", for example "I can not choose to be a jerk, and I an choose to be nice." The word "cannot" indicates impossibility. I cannot life a building.

While it is possible for "can not" and "cannot" to be used to mean the same thing, (I can not eat this food vs I cannot eat this food), it is MUCH simpler to use "cannot" in terms of impossibility, and "can not" when there is a decision to be made on the issue in question.

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They are both valid. They do not have quite the same meaning. Think about it. "Cannot" spoken as a single word is just a negation. But "can not" has more force, it is a negation with emotional force because it mirrors the way humans slow down when speaking in anger.

As for "can not" being a contradiction. This is false reasoning. Logically, "can not" means "not can" which is how the logic is expressed in computer languages (and formal logic). Nothing wrong with it.

Also languages are fluid. Sometimes you bend rules to get an effect.

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The OED says of cannot: "the ordinary modern way of writing can not". Fowler agrees. No one (not noone, the opposite of someone) says when it entered the language.

Personally, I think it looks ugly. I prefer can not (no modern person, I!)

By the way, Fowler claims cannot is pronounced can't.

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It is also contradicting to write "need not". One need do something and then not do something. But if you needn't do something, it simply states that one does not need to do something. Put the words together, or it is a contradiction. Simple as that.

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It is a contradicting statement to write "can not" . One can do something and then not do something. But if you cannot do something it simply states that one is not able to do something. Simple as that.

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@Matt P ... Not true. Cannot is used, taught, and stated as preferred in the US ...

Others, a good discussion here: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/cannot-or-can-not/

and here http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic8863-15...

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Cannot is only accepted in the U.K. It is not considered to be correct in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

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OK Muhydeen, let's correct you.
The two example sentences where you wrote "can" and "not" side by side have nothing in common with "cannot":
I can not only sing but also dance. I can not only teach mathematics but also economics and English.
In these sentences the "not" negated the exclusion expressed by the word "only" rather than the possibility expressed by “can".

Dear dbfreak,
"Can you not shake your leg when I’m in the room? You can just not shake, ok? -> You can not shake it."
First, you probably debate a permission to shake my leg when you are in the room, which should be expressed with the word "may" rather than the physical possibility expressed by "can". However you are correct to state that your example is also correct grammatically. Only then it means that you are possibly so huge as to make shaking a leg physically impossible by your presence in the tiny room. Alternatively, you could be one scary ... whose presence paralyses the poor victim and he or she can not move the darn leg.

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I strongly believe that cannot is different from can not. cannot is the negative form of can. I cannot swim. can not is a correlative conjuction- I can not only sing but also dance. I can not only teach mathematics but also econoics and English. I stand to be corrected. Thanks

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Contractions are frowned upon in formal and technical writing. "Can't" is not an appropriate substitution.

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Sorry about that. Microsoft word suggests "cannot" in place of "can't"

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I prefer to use "can't" but microsoft word keep suggesting "can not"

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"Can not" seems to work when there needs to be emphasis on "not".

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Looks "uneducated" to whom?

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"cannot" is preferred; using "can not" runs you the risk of looking uneducated (despite being technically OK). Obvious exceptions are sentences like "This device can not only slice; it can also dice!"

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Of course "can not" is fine. It has a stronger pulse than "cannot," so I prefer it.

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Maybe because of the n and n :S

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