But Doesn't Cannot Mean Can Not?

This is a post that was inspired by Joel and began as a comment, so you will have to read the comments of "Lazy, But Elegantly Spare" to fully understand why this is here.

Joel, I love that you had a grammar debate with a colleague.

I looked up "cannot" in the classroom's Webster's Dictionary for Teens, and the definition given for "cannot" is can not -- cannot but: to be unable to do something other than.

This is true. The definition of "cannot" is "can not." "Not" is used to make a negative, and "cannot" is "can" negated.

How you use "cannot" is still different than how you use "can not," though. Just as you explained, the "not" in "cannot" negates the helping verb "can." The "not" in "can not [action/linking verb]" negates the action or linking verb.

"To be unable to do something other than" (or in the case of the grown-up version "to be unable to do otherwise than") is the definition of cannot but, which is entirely different than a simple "cannot."

I cannot but hope this explanation makes sense.

As for beginning with a conjunction, I don’t believe The Elements of Style actually says that you may not, does it? A stylistic rule is that you should not begin too many sentences with a coordinating conjunction, but that rule can extend to any sentence opener. In general, a sentence will begin with a coordinating conjunction when the author wants the sentence to stand out.

My conjunction “so” connects the entire idea of realizing that I was meant to be a teacher with the action taken as a result of that realization. This is greater than merely joining a word, a phrase, or a clause to another.

To write “. . . I knew that I was supposed to teach, so I absorbed . . .” takes away the punch of the concept of learning all that I could.

I told you I’d cogitate upon your question, so you have only yourself to blame for this post.