

Now that you know the difference between cannot and can not, you don’t need to worry about misusing either of them. Can not should only be used when not is part of another phrase.Cannot can be further shortened into the contraction can’t.

You would use CAN NOT when the NOT forms part of another construction such as NOT ONLY.

cannot.Ī good rule of thumb is that cannot is always one word, never two. Since Alina bought two cakes, she can now have her cake and eat it too.You might also just rework the sentence as a whole. In this case, you would separate cannot into two words. In this sentence, not is a part of another construction, i.e., not only…but also. By buying two cakes, Alina can not only have her cake, but she can also eat it, too.The words can and not should only appear together when they are part of separate but adjacent phrases. When describing an action which is impossible, you should always use cannot. What does can not mean? Can not, as two separate words, is not a proper verb phrase. Remember, however, to avoid contractions in formal writing. You can’t drive faster than the speed limit and expect to avoid getting a ticket.Cannot can also be shortened into the contraction can’t, which means the same thing.
