Is “cannot” a word or a contraction?
6 Jan, 2010 | Written by Rob | under Writing/Grammar
A friend recently sent me a site listing common errors in English usage, and I’ve been looking for a relevant way of bringing it up on this site. I’ve had some fun clicking around on it.
- First, there’s the satisfaction of seeing some of my pet peeves corrected—nice to know someone shares my frustration at least. “ATM machine” and “I/me/myself” are good examples.
- Then there’s the entertainment factor—the supposedly common mistakes that I wasn’t even aware people were making. “Virii?” ”Disconcerning?”
- And lastly, there is of course the occasional learning experience. See “vicious/viscous circle/cycle.”
But one point I feel the site fails to emphasize is the difference between “cannot” and “can not.” My opinion is that the two are very different.
“Cannot” is not a contraction of “can not.” The first means “can’t” and the second means something more like “I’m capable of not…”
How’s that for a nitpicky start to 2010?
Thanks to Andy for sending the link.
Rob Meyerson works with clients to find creative solutions that inform brand strategy, positioning, identity, and communications.
brian | January 10th, 2010 at 8:09 am #
cannot = unable to do
can not = able to, but choose not to
can’t = the verb contraction of cannot
Paul | January 11th, 2010 at 1:08 pm #
I give this site major props for proper pluralization:
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/
I, for one, like saying Whoppers Jr. and MacBooks Pro, but I can’t seem to make it catch on…
Rob | March 3rd, 2010 at 4:35 am #
Paul,
In Hong Kong this week and noticing that 7-11 and Circle K seem to have stores on every corner. Just curios, would you consider those 7s-11 and Circles K?