Do you use the word "cannot" ?

“The doctor said that I cannot eat for a day before the blood test.”
“Are you you going to be able to do that?”
“I can not eat for a day.”
“You’re lucky; that would be impossible for me. I can’t not eat for a day.”

Can’t say that I do.

I cannot say that I don’t.

I usually say “can’t”.

Only in legal writing.

All the time. It fits elegantly in situations where “can’t” cannot.

But if can’t cannot be can’t, couldn’t cannot be can’t after can be can’t?

I would if I could but I can’t so I won’t. If I had, then I would, but I haven’t so I shan’t.

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

I usually write “can not”. I don’t use “cannot” because it just doesn’t seem like a word that belongs in an English paper, just like “alot”

What about everyday vs. every day?

No wonder it’s hard for people to learn proper English

Yes, I do use “cannot” in place of “can’t” sometimes.

@Aesthetic_Mess

“Cannot” is completely standard and formal and is simply a more commonly used variant of “can not”. On the other hand, “alot” is not even in the dictionary. It’s simply not a word. At least, that’s how the prescriptivists see it at at the moment; like all things linguistic, it’s subject to change.

I do. I don’t think about it, though. It just happens.

I can’t.

I usually use “cannot” only in formal writing situations, like academic papers or business proposals. “Can’t” is colloquial and therefore more frequently used in conversation.

I do, both in formal prose where contractions are inappropriate and at certain times for emphasis or for a particular cadence. In speech I sometimes stress the first syllable and sometimes the second.

“Cannot” is correct. One word. Unless, of course, you’ve created a special case such as in your example, in which “can not” means something different from “cannot.”

In speech, ‘can’t’ is much more common than ’ cannot’. In formal writing, ‘cannot is’ much more common than ‘can’t’. I always use ‘can not’, or ‘cant’, never ‘cannot’.

erichw1504, I’m not a native English speaker, but I know the difference between EVERYDAY and EVERY DAY. The meaning of the first is: day to day, ordinary, workday. Ex.: everyday clothes, problems of everyday…The meaning of the second is: daily. Ex.:They see each other every day.