[PATCH doc] use "cannot" consistently

[Toon Moene]

On 03/14/2017 09:53 PM, Richard Kenner wrote:

>> The GCC manual uses "cannot" in most places (280 lines) but there
>> are a few instances of "can't" (33 lines).
>>
>> The attached patch replaces the informal "can't" with the former
>> for consistency.
>
> In my opinion, this is the wrong direction.  Contractions are becoming
> more acceptable in even more formal writing and there's even a current
> US Supreme Court justice who uses them in her opinions.
>
> I certainly don't think it's worth a change to use "can't" throughout,
> but I'm not in favor of eliminating it either.

I think for non-native speakers of English, using the full word is 
easier to read (you can't take my experience as an example, as I was 
exposed to written English 48 years ago).

I think replacing the few instances of can't with cannot is worth the 
clarity.

Kind regards,

-- 
Toon Moene - e-mail: toon@moene.org - phone: +31 346 214290
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