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Nrdo Hesson
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 2:41 am
Post subject: "cannot" and "can not" |
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when, why, where, etc.
nrdo
--
If you know who you are, Nrdo Hesson
you know who I am. popenrdo@yahoo.com
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Mark P
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 5:37 am
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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Nrdo Hesson wrote:
| Quote: | when, why, where, etc.
nrdo
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I would say,
cannot = unable to
can not = able not to
although "can not" seems like a strange construction to me.
People cannot fly.
People can not walk. |
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John O'Flaherty
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 7:00 am
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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Mark P wrote:
| Quote: | Nrdo Hesson wrote:
when, why, where, etc.
nrdo
I would say,
cannot = unable to
can not = able not to
although "can not" seems like a strange construction to me.
|
You can fall right into it, after someone says 'Can too!'.
| Quote: | People cannot fly.
People can not walk.
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--
john
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 7:00 am
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 13:41:13 -0700, Nrdo Hesson <popenrdo@yahoo.com> wrote:
| Quote: | when, why, where, etc.
|
what, how, who
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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Pete
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:30 pm
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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| Quote: | when, why, where, etc.
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I'll let the native speakers decide this question. However a google search
for "cannot" produces 535.000.000 results whereas "can not" only produces
53.500.000 results.
That cannot be true!
Can too!
Can not!!! |
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Peter Duncanson
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 5:35 pm
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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On Fri, 7 Oct 2005 12:30:57 +0200, "Pete" <wolffpeter@t-online.de>
wrote:
| Quote: | when, why, where, etc.
I'll let the native speakers decide this question. However a google search
for "cannot" produces 535.000.000 results whereas "can not" only produces
53.500.000 results.
That cannot be true!
Can too!
Can not!!!
Can't! (418,000,000 google results.) |
--
Peter Duncanson
UK (posting from a.e.u) |
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Barbara Need
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:58 pm
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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In article <6zi1f.1050$B14.952@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com>,
Mark P <usenet@fall2005REMOVE.fastmailCAPS.fm> wrote:
| Quote: | Nrdo Hesson wrote:
when, why, where, etc.
nrdo
I would say,
cannot = unable to
can not = able not to
although "can not" seems like a strange construction to me.
People cannot fly.
People can not walk.
|
Try another verb, like go
He cannot go to school tomorrow (he has a doctor's appointment)
He can't go to school tomorrow (ditto)
He can not go to school tomorrow (it is an optional day)
Barbara Need
UChicago |
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Mike Lyle
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:49 pm
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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Barbara Need wrote:
| Quote: | In article <6zi1f.1050$B14.952@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com>,
Mark P <usenet@fall2005REMOVE.fastmailCAPS.fm> wrote:
Nrdo Hesson wrote:
when, why, where, etc.
nrdo
I would say,
cannot = unable to
can not = able not to
although "can not" seems like a strange construction to me.
People cannot fly.
People can not walk.
Try another verb, like go
He cannot go to school tomorrow (he has a doctor's appointment)
He can't go to school tomorrow (ditto)
He can not go to school tomorrow (it is an optional day)
|
I think it would be wrong to encourage a learner in this view of "can
not". Depending as it does on the sound, it's very much a feature of
spoken English, and on the whole I'd say it was quite a bit less
common than the alternatives, even in speech. Without strong support
from context, it would be poor style in writing.
--
Mike. |
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Barbara Need
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 10:12 pm
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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In article <3qnjptFfb9p4U1@individual.net>,
"Mike Lyle" <mike_lyle_uk@REMOVETHISyahoo.co.uk> wrote:
| Quote: | Barbara Need wrote:
In article <6zi1f.1050$B14.952@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com>,
Mark P <usenet@fall2005REMOVE.fastmailCAPS.fm> wrote:
Nrdo Hesson wrote:
when, why, where, etc.
nrdo
I would say,
cannot = unable to
can not = able not to
although "can not" seems like a strange construction to me.
People cannot fly.
People can not walk.
Try another verb, like go
He cannot go to school tomorrow (he has a doctor's appointment)
He can't go to school tomorrow (ditto)
He can not go to school tomorrow (it is an optional day)
I think it would be wrong to encourage a learner in this view of "can
not". Depending as it does on the sound, it's very much a feature of
spoken English, and on the whole I'd say it was quite a bit less
common than the alternatives, even in speech. Without strong support
from context, it would be poor style in writing.
|
Sorry, I simply answering the question. And describing actual use.
I do not think this is primarily a feature of spoken English. Frankly,
the pause (represented by the space) seems contrived to me--though real
enough, when the distinction is not otherwise clear.
That it is rare (evidence?) answers another part of the OP's question.
Barbara Need
UChicago |
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David Picton
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 11:03 pm
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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Mark P wrote:
| Quote: |
I would say,
cannot = unable to
can not = able not to
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Unfortunately I can't agree with this! When I've heard and seen "can
not", it has always had the same meaning as "cannot".
| Quote: | although "can not" seems like a strange construction to me.
People cannot fly.
People can not walk.
|
The second sentence does sound strange, because you've used "can not"
to mean "able not to". Maybe you could get away with this in speech,
using intonation to imply the correct meaning. Unfortunately you can't
use intonation in writing, so I would rewrite your second sentence as:
People can choose not to walk. |
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David Picton
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 11:10 pm
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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Barbara Need wrote:
| Quote: | In article <6zi1f.1050$B14.952@newssvr11.news.prodigy.com>,
Mark P <usenet@fall2005REMOVE.fastmailCAPS.fm> wrote:
I would say,
cannot = unable to
can not = able not to
although "can not" seems like a strange construction to me.
People cannot fly.
People can not walk.
Try another verb, like go
He cannot go to school tomorrow (he has a doctor's appointment)
He can't go to school tomorrow (ditto)
He can not go to school tomorrow (it is an optional day)
|
I think most people would interpret "can not" as "unable to" in your
third sentence. It would be much better to rewrite it, e.g.
He won't need to go to school tomorrow.
| Quote: | Barbara Need
UChicago |
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Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2005 2:31 am
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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In beginning books, those intended for children under the age of 8, use
"can not." In everything else, use "cannot" or "can't."
Cece |
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Numeromania
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:21 am
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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Nrdo Hesson wrote:
| Quote: | when, why, where, etc.
nrdo
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No difference. "Can not" is mostly American. |
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Nrdo Hesson
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2005 7:00 am
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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In article <m6ibk15p5mjq5ea6u78clg4956rgs69dc4@4ax.com>,
Steve Hayes <hayesmstw@hotmail.com> wrote:
| Quote: | On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 13:41:13 -0700, Nrdo Hesson <popenrdo@yahoo.com> wrote:
when, why, where, etc.
what, how, who
|
Yes, that too.
--
If you know who you are, Nrdo Hesson
you know who I am. popenrdo@yahoo.com |
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2005 12:45 pm
Post subject: Re: "cannot" and "can not" |
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On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 22:21:15 GMT, Numeromania <anon@example.net>
wrote:
| Quote: | Nrdo Hesson wrote:
when, why, where, etc.
nrdo
No difference. "Can not" is mostly American.
|
I think you'll find "can not" in BrE more often than in AmE, where
"cannot" is more the norm.
--
Charles Riggs |
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