  What is the Difference Between 'Cannot' and 'can Not'?为什么“不能”？ The main difference between “cannot” and “can not” is that the first term deals with impossibility and the second handles choice. “cannot”与“can not”主要的区别在于前者适用于处理不可能概率事件，后者适用于处理关于一件事情的选择。 The two-word version also is more common when a person wants to add emphasis on something, or when he wants to stress that someone has more than one skill. 当一个人想要强调某些事情，或是强调某人不止有一种本事的时候，“cannot”这种双词复合的形式在使用时就更加普遍了。 Mistakes about how to use them properly means that they are virtually interchangeable in regular speech, however. 然而，在日常使用中，这两个词几乎是互换的。这就是如何正确使用它们的问题所在了。
Impossibility vs. Choice 关于不可能性和选择 One of the most common explanations for the difference between “cannot” and “can not” is that, with the former word, there is no chance someone can carry out an activity, no matter how much he might want to do so. “cannot”和“can’t”最大区别之一是，在运用前者时，其情景表明某人无论多么想做一件事，他是没有任何一点机会去开始着手做这件事的。
Cannot The following sentences both are based on this concept of impossibility: Jane cannot jump 50 feet in the air.We cannot go to Pluto. 下面的句子是基于cannot的不可能性概念： 1、简不可能在空中起跳到50英尺。 2、我们去不了冥王星。 In these examples, “cannot” essentially means “lacks the ability to.' 在这些例子中，“cannot”本质上的含义是“做某事缺乏某种能力”。 In the first instance, for example, the way the human body is made and functions always will keep Jane from reaching the extreme height, regardless of her fitness level. 第一个例句中，无论简的身体状况如何，但是人的身体构造和功能都无法使她达到所说的极限高度。 The second sentence is true because currently, scientists do not have all the knowledge or technology that a mission to Pluto would require. 第二个句子所描述的在目前是真实的状态，现在的科学家们并没有足够的知识和科技能让去冥王星的愿望达成。 By contrast, when a person uses “cannot,” the ability to do the action still exists. 通过对比我们得知，当一个人使用“cannot”来表达时，这表明他的行为能力是仍然存在的。 We analyse another two sentences again. 我们再来分析两个句子。 Yuri can not study anymore.Sam can not have a drink. 尤里不会再学习了。 山姆不喝饮料。 For both these cases, “can not” translates to “is not going to” or “is opting not to.” In other words, the subject has a choice. Yuri can study, for example, or he can go do something else. Sam can consume a beverage, or he can leave it be. 以上两个例子，“cannot”都译为“不打算去做”或者是“选择不这么做”。换句话说，在这两句话中，主语都有可选择的能力。尤里可以学习但是他也可以选择做其他事情。山姆也可以选择喝或不喝。
Can’t Typically, a contraction represents the joining of more than one word, usually as a way to make speech shorter and more efficient. 形式上讲，这种缩写形式通常代表了不止一个词的衔接，它们可以使话语变得更短和更有效。 Contractions also can eliminate syllables within words, however, sometimes for a poetic purpose, such as sticking to a particular meter. 缩写形式也可以起到在词中消除音节的作用，在诗歌中，有时是为了一个塑造诗型的目的，比如塑造一种特定的结构形式。 A good example is “e’er,” a shortened form of “ever” pronounced like the words “air” or “heir.” Most experts say that the contraction “can’t” functions in this way and, therefore, is a shortened version of “cannot” rather than a joining of “can” and “not.” 一个很好的例子就是“ever”的缩写“e’er”，它的发音类似于“air”（空气）或者“heir”（后嗣）。很多专家都表明“can’t”的功能是“cannot”的缩写，而不是“can”和“not”的机械衔接。 With the contraction representing “cannot,” technically, someone only should use it when they really mean that the subject of their sentence does not have the ability to do something. 从技术上讲，某些人表达的句子中的主语是真的没有能力做某些事，才要用“cannot”的缩写形式。 In common speech, however, people frequently use it incorrectly. A person might say, 'I can't cook tonight,' for example. 然而，在日常使用中，人们对于错误的表达总是习以为常。例如一个人会说：“我今晚不做饭。”
Emphasis 关于强调作用 The word “cannot” rarely needs to receive emphasis because the meaning is not ambiguous — it always means that it isn’t possible for the subject to complete the action. “cannot”一词几乎不需要强调，因为其意义并不含糊。因为它经常用于表达句子中的主语根本不可能完成这一项行动。 The phrase “can not,” however, deals with options, and people can stress what they want to happen or are going to pick. 然而短语“can not”是用于处理选择的，人们用“can not”来强调他们想要发生什么或者是选择什么。 A father upset about his daughter’s short skirt, for instance, might say, “You can not wear that out of this house, young lady!” He essentially would be stressing that, even though she’s physically capable of donning the offensive clothing and going somewhere in it, he’s not going to let her, making her choice for her. 爸爸不喜欢女儿穿短裙，他可以说：“嘿年轻的小姐！你不可以穿成那样走出家门！”这位父亲是在强调，即使女儿的身材适合穿这样暴露的衣服去那些不三不四的地方，他也不会任凭女儿胡乱来，他会替她的女儿做出正确的选择。 In the same way, when a person says “You can not be serious,” he really means, “You are choosing not to be serious,” which is a roundabout way of expressing disbelief or disapproval and saying he wants the other person to quit fooling around. 同样，当一个人说“你不要太认真”的时候，他想表达的是“你不用那么苛刻去对待什么事情”，这是一种表达不信任感或不赞成的迂回方式，并且表明他不想让其他人再糊涂下去了。
Multiple Abilities 关于多种能力 Related to the idea of emphasis is the concept of stressing that someone has multiple abilities. 与强调的概念相关的是强调某人有多种能力。 People usually do this using “not only…but” statements, such as “He can not only sing, but he acts, too.” 人们总是用“不但……而且……”句型来陈述这一事实，例如，“他不但会唱，而且也会表演。” A person generally can rewrite a sentence like this to make the dual abilities a little more clear, such as “He can sing, and he can act, too.” The first construction, however, draws a little more attention to the second ability, essentially saying, “Yes, he has Ability A, but don’t ignore Ability B.” 人们总是改写例如“他会唱歌，他也会表演。”这样的句子，使之描写这个人的两种能力时会更加清晰简明。然而，“cannot”是让听众稍注意一下第二种能力，也就是说，“似的，他会做A，但是请别忘了他也会做B。”
Commonality 共同性原则 Even though these two terms technically do have slightly different meanings, widespread inappropriate application has made them almost interchangeable in everyday language. 在技术上讲，尽管这两个词在意义上有轻微的差别，但由于人们不恰当地广泛使用，这两个词已经在今天的语言中可以互换了。 According to some sources, though, “cannot” is the more common version. Location has some influence on usage, with some areas preferring the single word and others preferring the phrase. 根据一些消息来源，“cannot”是更为普遍的使用形式。但是不排除地理位置对使用有一定的影响，有些地方更喜欢单字（cannot），而有些地方更喜欢这个短语（can not）。
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