20 Lún 2012 · When is it best to write "can't" versus writing "cannot"? Are they interchangeable in every situation?

29 DFómh 2010 · Why is “cannot” spelled as one word whereas other similar constructions such as “do not,” “will not,” “shall not,” “may not” and “must not” are spelled as two words (unless they …

20 Aib 2021 · This isn't really a duplicate, as both the question and answer are different, and include the form "can not" with valuable info as to when not to use it. This was exactly what I …

9 "cannot not say" would only rarely be used in English, and only in very specific circumstances. In particular, this is not a simple double negative. "cannot not" does not mean the same as "can", it …

8 Both are acceptable, but cannot is now more common. OED has this much to say about cannot: (ˈkænət) the ordinary modern way of writing can not: see CAN v. Notwithstanding, in some …

2 Noll 2011 · Cannot is the only negative form that contains not rather than -n't. Theoretically, since it is a single word, you can say why cannot you... without a problem. My theory is that …

15 DFómh 2015 · 1 There is no correct way to use "cannot help but." There are two traditional and synonymous idioms, "cannot but [do something]" and "cannot help [doing something]." Those …

16 Meith 2011 · I cannot find the tool, it is neither in the kitchen nor in the bathroom. I dislike that punctuation and I would either use a semicolon or make it two sentences. But if the sentence is …

18 MFómh 2014 · If you suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, then you cannot control your impulses. You can't help it, but you exhibit undesirable behavior. There are other explanations …

The irony of the idiom is that one would expect to be able to eat the cake that he or she owned. In that case, possession of the cake would logically come before usage of the cake: You cannot …