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Should I use 'can't' or 'cannot' in a sentence?
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Mar 4, 2021 · The answer is one word – most of the time. Cannot and can’t have the same meaning, but can not appears differently in a sentence. Read on to find examples of situations in which cannot or can’t would be acceptable, and when can not might cross your path.
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Can’t is a contraction of cannot, and it’s best suited for informal writing. In formal writing and where contractions are frowned upon, use cannot. It is possible to write can not, but you generally find it only as part of some other construction, such as “not only . . . but also.”.
short form of cannot: Speak up! I can't hear you. often used to suggest that someone should do a particular thing, especially when it seems the obvious thing to do: Can't you just take the dress back to the shop if it doesn't fit? Fewer examples. I can't remember his name. It can't have been much later than three. I can't bear the sight of blood.
Aug 2, 2019 · In contemporary English, both “cannot” and “can not” are acceptable, though they’re generally used in different ways. The combined form, as you point out, is more common (Lexico, formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online, says it’s three times as common in the Oxford English Corpus).
Can't and cannot are both contractions of the phrase "cannot," but they are used in slightly different contexts. "Can't" is more informal and commonly used in spoken language, while "cannot" is more formal and often used in written communication.
We will discuss the meaning of can’t and cant, their origins and look at a few examples used in sentences. Can’t means cannot. Can’t is a contraction, which is two words that are combined by eliminating a vowel and replacing it with an apostrophe.
Apr 20, 2021 · The phrase "can not" may mean "cannot" or "can't," but it also may mean "able not to," which is much different than "not able to" as it conveys the ability to not do something rather than the inability to do it.
