RE: "cannot" or "can not"

["Jones, Donna" <DJones -at- zebra -dot- com>]

> -----Carol wrote:-----
> 
> A software developer wants to use "You can not enter a blank 
> password." instead of "You cannot enter a blank password." in 
> the user interface. My fellow technical writer and I tried to 
> convince him, and another development manager, that "cannot" 
> is the preferred usage and, most often, also the 
> grammatically correct usage.


Carol,

Rather than arguing semantics, rewrite the sentence. "You must enter at least one character for the password" or something to that effect gets rid of the negative sentence and your internal conflict.

For what it's worth, I prefer "cannot," though I don't have a concrete reason why. I tend to pause in the middle of "can not," almost like I'm stuttering, which bugs me.

Donna

Donna L. Jones
--------------------------------------
Technical Writer II
Zebra Technologies Corp.
Vernon Hills, IL
djones -at- zebra -dot- com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED
Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word
and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo:
http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l

Doc-To-Help 7.5 Professional: New version with new features, improved performance and reliability, plus much more!  Download your free trial today at www.componentone.com/techwrlfeb.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.