"Can not" vs. "cannot"

What....

Fox-Company wrote:

What....

You can not comment if you don't have anything to add.

Vs

You cannot comment if you don't have anything to add

jubjub bird wrote:

Fox-Company wrote:

What....

He's technically correct. As another example:

You can not comment if you don't have anything to add.

Vs

You cannot comment if you don't have anything to add

I don't think it matters much and even native English speakers will interpret them the same way, it's just that cannot is usually the preferred way of spelling it, as far as I know, and reduces the (unlikely) potential for confusion.

You are allowed to not comment if you don't have anything to add.

Vs

You are not allowed to comment if you don't have anything to add.

prob because byto are Germans and in Germany it’s kann nicht so that’s why the spelt it can not

I honestly don't see the difference between "can not' and "cannot". You suggest that "can not" implies that there is the "option" to not. That is not what "can not" implies. "can not" implies "can't" or "cannot". I mean if you smokin the dubers and got some sweet diggies, then giggies.

DxC wrote:

if you smokin the dubers and got some sweet diggies, then giggies.

Talk about grammar police.

I know this sort of error is trivial, but it's the sort of thing that can get on the nerves of some people at the back of their heads. I'd be very pleased to see this fixed.

That said, I don't think fixing things like this should exactly be the developer's highest priority.

Heh... for starters, the thing is called a "wiki". Wikipedia itself says:

A wiki (/ˈwɪki/ (listen) WIK-ee) is an online hypertext publication collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience,

This wiki is far from it: it is edited and managed by someone at Bytro, and no one else has editing rights. It should be called a "help file" or something like that, not a wiki.

Basic idea of a wiki is three basic goals/assumptions/ideas:

• "A wiki invites all users—not just experts—to edit any page or to create new pages within the wiki web site, using only a standard 'plain-vanilla' Web browser without any extra add-ons."
• "Wiki promotes meaningful topic associations between different pages by making page link creation intuitively easy and showing whether an intended target page exists or not."
• "A wiki is not a carefully crafted site created by experts and professional writers and designed for casual visitors. Instead, it seeks to involve the typical visitor/user in an ongoing process of creation and collaboration that constantly changes the website landscape."

Actually, a wiki can also be thought of as a piece of software that is designed for creating dynamic pages and easy mechanisms for linking within the wiki. It doesn't necessarily have to be open to the world to be considered a wiki. I think the cow wiki uses mediawiki, same as wikipedia. They probably have a group of people at Bytro that can update it.

Btw, contrary to the OPs issue with "can not". "Can not" is perfectly fine to use in place of cannot. The definition of cannot is literally "can not".

wow thats some amazing knowledge of grammar. ive never though about your point before very interesting

german anime boy wrote:

wow thats some amazing knowledge of grammar. ive never though about your point before very interesting

DxC wrote:

It doesn't necessarily have to be open to the world to be considered a wiki.

Uhh, I totally understand this… yeah.

Kolonnos wrote:

"These buildings can not be constructed in cities."

I found this sentence in the Wiki. It contains a mistake that individuals with English as a Second Language often make, and also, sadly, many other English-speaking individuals whose education was lacking.

The intent of the sentence is to specify that a player is unable/incapable of constructing "these buildings" in cities; that is, the construction of said buildings is impossible/prohibited.

now I understand better the difference.

Let's also talk about, "leaders in the whole world are appalled by this action".

Lord Crayfish wrote:

Let's also talk about, "leaders in the whole world are appalled by this action".

Hear Hear

Word!