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> -----Carol wrote:-----
>
> A software developer wants to use "You can not enter a blank
> password." instead of "You cannot enter a blank password." in
> the user interface. My fellow technical writer and I tried to
> convince him, and another development manager, that "cannot"
> is the preferred usage and, most often, also the
> grammatically correct usage.
Carol,
Rather than arguing semantics, rewrite the sentence. "You must enter at least one character for the password" or something to that effect gets rid of the negative sentence and your internal conflict.
For what it's worth, I prefer "cannot," though I don't have a concrete reason why. I tend to pause in the middle of "can not," almost like I'm stuttering, which bugs me.
Donna
Donna L. Jones
--------------------------------------
Technical Writer II
Zebra Technologies Corp.
Vernon Hills, IL
djones -at- zebra -dot- com
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