Usage nitpick

[owlmoose]

Grammar fact of the day: "cannot" and "can not" are not interchangeable, and in fact mean very different things.

"Cannot" means "It is impossible." If you say "I cannot go to the store", you're saying that it is literally not possible for you to go to the store. Maybe you're at work and aren't able to leave, maybe the weather is so bad that it keeps you in your house, maybe you're too busy with other things to get away.

On the other hand, "I can not go to the store" means that it is possible for you not to go the store. You could go to the store if you wanted, but if you don't want to go, you don't have to go. Nothing is requiring it.

"Can't" is always a contraction for "cannot". There is, as far as I know, no contraction for "can not". Which is just as well, because this usage is pretty rare.

This mini-rant brought to you by the sign in my parking garage which contains this error*, and drives me batty every time I notice it.

*"Cars left after closing hours can not be retrieved until the next business day." Which, taken literally, means that you can choose to leave your car until the next business day. I have a feeling that this is not what the sign-makers had in mind.

Comments

I feel your pain.

[auronlu.livejournal.com]

Edit: This is not meant as an insult; it is a badge of honor!

[solomita.livejournal.com]

A grammatical distinction in written English which cannot be expressed verbally?

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

You can put a pause between the words, or an emphasis on the word "can". But really, I think that "can not", used properly, is rather rare. It's a pretty specific sentiment, not one I hear often.

Re: I feel your pain.

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

And I surely wear it in the intended spirit. :) Thanks!

Curious.

[delladella.livejournal.com]

Do you have any source for this rule? Never heard it in my life.

It seems to me the words can and may serve to distinguish in this fashion.

Re: Curious.

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

I can't remember where I first hear the rule, but one cite:

http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutspelling/cannot

Then again, "Common Errors in English", which I find pretty authoritative, says there's no difference. So maybe it's regional? Not sure. But it seems a logical distinction to me; for example, see the following headline, which would have a totally different meaning if you substituted "cannot" for "can not":

Court weighs if doctors can not treat lesbian

Re: Curious.

[delladella.livejournal.com]

Hrm!

But isn't the claim being weighed by the court that the doctors cannot, due to religious reasons? Even accepting this distinction, I think the doctors are arguing that treatment is an impossibility, and the court is deciding whether it is, in fact, an impossibility.

As for your other link, I don't see any reference to the rule in question. However, I did a Google search before I posted and found others citing this rule, albeit not any so-called authorities on language. It might be regional; it's certainly not unheard of.

The descriptivist in me chafes at rules, but I've got a bit of a prescriptivist streak, so I know where you're coming from, especially if you've been taught this distinction between can not and cannot. I'm still reeling over the recent changes to rules about possessives and words ending in ess.

And, oh, PEE ESS: hi! Long time no see. Hope it's going well!

Re: Curious.

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

I think I would read "Court weights if doctors cannot treat lesbian" as a malpractice trial, as in the doctors were not capable of providing treatment as opposed to their choosing not to do so. But maybe that's my bias coloring the context...

I tend to be a descriptivist about most usage rules, especially if there's no change in meaning, but of course I see a change in meaning here, and those I tend to cling to. ;) But I can accept a difference as regional, or a distinction dying out, if there's enough evidence. Partly, that sign jumps out at me because I don't see "can not" used very often.

And yes, good to see you! :) Things are well enough here. How are you?

Re: Curious.

[delladella.livejournal.com]

To my eyes, "if" clinches what's at issue there.

It's funny. I've known "can not" is acceptable, particularly in the UK, but it always looks wrong to me.

As for me, I'm not dead, and that's a start! Actually, I'm doing pretty damned well.