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当我们要表示不能或者不允许做某事的时候，我们应该用cannot这个词。Can’t 是 cannot的所写形式。很多人错误的将cannot分写成can not。《美国传统词典》表述的很清楚：can的否定形式是cannot。Can’t用于口语，比较随便，而cannot用于书面语，较为正式。
Cannot是“不可以”，而can not是“可以不”。举个例子：
I cannot believe this! （我无法相信！等于I can't believe this!）
I can not believe
this! （我可以不相信！也就是说，I can believe this, or I can not believe
this。我并不一定要相信，我可以选择不相信。）
If I say "I cannot smoke," I mean that I am unable to or not permitted to smoke.
If I say, "I can not smoke," not modifies smoke. My meaning is: "I am able to
not smoke," i.e., I have the ability to avoid smoking.
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