'can not' vs 'cannot'... the rant cometh

Subject: 'can not' vs 'cannot'... the rant cometh
From: "Wright, Lynne" <lwright -at- positron911 -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 16:33:05 -0500


eeeeeeeee!!!!!

Please allow me to fume about people whose expertise is not (or should
that be 'isnot'?) the English language, trying to tell writers how to
apply the language.

The type of people who use arguments such as "its a matter of personal
preference" are those who could never be bothered to learn to spell
properly, so they use that phrase to justify the fact that they are
ignorant of correct language usage and don't want to admit it.

To try to justify 'can not' with "'You can not enter a blank password'
means that you are able to not enter a blank password" is c-r-a-z-y. Its
such a tangle of double-negatives akin to saying "you can do this by not
doing nothing".

If these guys want authoritative proof that 'cannot' is correct, open
the DICTIONARY and show them that "cannot" is the word to use when you
can't do something. And by the way... the entry in Webster's doesn't
include "can not" as a variation... which it WOULD include, if it were
an acceptable usage. This is the beauty of a DICTIONARY... its compiled
by language EXPERTS doing rigorous research. IT is the primary guide to
words in the English language... not Microsoft's spell checker, and not
a pair of guys who have probably not opened a dictionary since they
first laid eyes on one and decided it was too heavy and bothersome to
use, so they'd just go with their "feelings" instead.

p.s. is it just a BIT obvious that i'm februarily homicidal????


Lynne Wright
Editor/Technical Writer
Technical Communications
Positron Inc.
514-345-2200 ext. 2533




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