Now that I have raised the issue of can't on another thread, I would like to open it as an independent discussion. Someone suggested I did not know what I was talking about and since researching it on the internet, I think they are probably correct. Does anyone have the answer to the differences between ... can not - cannot - cant - can't ?
Erm, never heard of Can not Can't is the shortened version of cannot cant <- isn't correct..I think Hoped that helped..
Can not and cannot are the same word. They have the same meaning. They just removed the space between the two words to shorten it into a compound word. Cannot is the word normally used because...why make it longer by including the extra space? Can't is the contraction for cannot. Same meaning. Just a shortened form of the word. Cant is a completely different word. Here are some definitions courtesy of dictionary.com: -noun 1. insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety. 2. the private language of the underworld. 3. the phraseology peculiar to a particular class, party, profession, etc.: the cant of the fashion industry. 4. whining or singsong speech, especially of beggars. -verb 5. to talk hypocritically. 6. to speak in the whining or singsong tone of a beggar; beg.
-Cannot and can not: These two mean the same thing (as mentioned by several others above). -Can't: The contraction of the above words, traditionally you should not use the contraction in most of your formal nonfiction writing. -Cant: Unrelated to the above two and would be considered grammatically incorrect if you were trying to use it as "can not". Hope this helps
Aha! I found another one in my dictionary: Scot. and northern English dialect: Lusty, merry, hearty. ... not that it's a game or anything
