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Both cannot and can not are acceptable spellings, but the first is
much more usual. You would use can not when the 'not' forms part of
another construction such as 'not only'
Bonnie Granat | www.GranatEdit.com
bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com
Cambridge, Massachusetts, US
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bounce-techwr-l-137490 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:bounce-techwr-l-137490 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of C
L
> Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 3:55 PM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: "cannot" or "can not"
>
>
> 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.
>
> The developer and manager contend that it is a matter of
> personal preference and that either spelling is acceptable,
> as long as the spelling is consistent. The manager also noted
> that Microsoft's grammar and spelling tools do not flag "can
> not" as incorrect.
>
> I sent them links to various online resources indicating that
> "cannot" is usually more correct because "can not" often
> leads to a different meaning. For example, "You cannot enter
> a blank password." means that you are not able to enter a
> blank password. "You can not enter a blank password." means
> that you are able to not enter a blank password.
>
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