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Never vs Cannot - What's the difference?

never | cannot |

As an adverb never

is at no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.

As a verb cannot is

can not (am/is/are unable to).

As a noun cannot is

something that cannot be done.

never

English

(wikipedia never)

Adverb

(-)
  • At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.
  • * 1634 , (w), (John Fletcher), , Act 2, Scene 4,
    • Why should I love this Gentleman? Tis odds / He never will affect me;
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.}}
  • * 1908 , (Lucy Maud Montgomery), , Chapter XXI: A New Departure in Flavorings,
    • "I never thought you were so fond of Mr. Phillips that you'd require two handkerchiefs to dry your tears just because he was going away," said Marilla.
  • * 1919 , B. G. Jefferis, J. L. Nichols, ,
    • Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence, unless questioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey implicitly .
  • Not at any other time; not on any other occasion; not previously.
  • * 1601 Novenber 30, (Elizabeth I of England), ,
    • There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel: I mean your love.
  • * 1813 , (Jane Austen), , Chapter 4,
    • "He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!--so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!"
  • * 1908 , (Lucy Maud Montgomery), , Chapter XIII: The Delights of Anticipation,
    • I never saw such an infatuated man.
  • (colloquial) Negative particle (used to negate verbs in the simple past tense; also used absolutely ).

    • Antonyms

    * always

    Derived terms

    * better late than never * I have never * never again * never-ending * never ever * never in a month of Sundays * never mind * nevermore * neverness * never say never * nevertheless * now or never * on the never never * you never know

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    * 200 English basic words English frequency adverbs 1000 English basic words ----

    cannot

    English

    Verb

    (head)
  • not (am/is/are unable to).
  • Am/are/is forbidden or not permitted to
  • * 1668 December 19, , “Mr.'' Alexander Seaton ''contra'' Menzies” in ''The Deci?ions of the Lords of Council & Se??ion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 575
    • The Pupil after his Pupillarity, had granted a Di?charge to one of the Co-tutors, which did extingui?h the whole Debt of that Co-tutor, and con?equently of all the re?t, they being all correi debendi , lyable by one individual Obligation, which cannot be Di?charged as to one, and ?tand as to all the re?t.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author= Karen McVeigh
    • , volume=189, issue=2, page=10, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= US rules human genes can't be patented , passage=The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.}}
    Usage notes
    Both the one-word form cannot' and the two-word form '''can not''' are acceptable, but '''cannot''' is more common (in the , three times as common). The two-word form is better only in a construction in which '''not is part of a set phrase, such as 'not only... but (also)': ''Paul can not only sing well, but also paint brilliantly .

    Synonyms

    * can't

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something that cannot be done.
    • the cans and cannots

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    * English auxiliary verb forms ----