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Vince Posted 21 years ago
Vocabulary

Cannot / can't

Hi there,

Is there a difference in (or between?) the usage of cannot and can't.
As far as I know, they both have the same meaning, indicating an impossibility.

Vince..
  

Top answer

"can't" is simply the shortened version of cannot, just as I'm is short for I am

— Abbie1948

  • "can't" is simply the shortened version of cannot, just as I'm is short for I am
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24 Answers
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"can't" is simply the shortened version of cannot, just as I'm is short for I am
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And then there is also no difference between cannot and can not?
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Correct - although I think we usually write cannot
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Hey, Vince!
No difference between "cannot" and "can't", but *can not is not correct!
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The meaning of can't and cannot is the same, but there is a difference between the two. Can't can only be used in an informal way (you cannot use contractions in formal texts), whereas cannot can be used formally and informally.
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Thanks Anne, forgot that bit!
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And thanks to Pieanne too. Obviously I need coffee. I can't seem to get the emoticons into my mail. Any advice?
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When you click the emoticon box open, you see they all correspond to some signs on your keyboard. Either you memorize what you need, or you cut & paste. Make sure to insert a space before and after each. It should work...
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