What's the difference between cannot and unable?

Cannot


Definition:

  • () Am, is, or are, not able; -- written either as one word or two.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The generally accepted hypothesis is a coronary spasm but a direct cardiotoxicity of 5-FU cannot be.
  • (2) "The Samaras government has proved to be dangerous; it cannot continue handling the country's fate."
  • (3) Mike Ashley told Lee Charnley that maybe he could talk with me last week but I said: ‘Listen, we cannot say too much so I think it’s better if we wait.’ The message Mike Ashley is sending is quite positive, but it was better to talk after we play Tottenham.” Benítez will ask Ashley for written assurances over his transfer budget, control of transfers and other spheres of club autonomy, but can also reassure the owner that the prospect of managing in the second tier holds few fears for him.
  • (4) "At the same time, however, we cannot allow one man's untrue version of what happened to stand unchallenged," he said.
  • (5) The results suggest that RPE cannot be used reliably as a surrogate for direct pulse measurement in exercise training of persons with acute dysvascular amputations.
  • (6) This decrease cannot be accounted for by increased turnover of the mRNA in the presence of the drug.
  • (7) So too his statement that "in Zulu culture you cannot leave a woman if she is ready.
  • (8) The importance of proper disinfection of such equipment cannot be overemphasized.
  • (9) Thus, although ferric-enterochelin cannot penetrate the cell surface from outside, the complex that is formed within the envelope is transported normally into the cell.
  • (10) If Deckard cannot see himself in the other, Roy can.
  • (11) In this way they offer the doctor the chance of preventing genetic handicaps that cannot be obtained by natural reproduction, and that therefore should be used.
  • (12) Crown prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz said yesterday that the state had "spared no effort" to avoid such disasters but added that "it cannot stop what God has preordained.
  • (13) Unfortunately more than three quantitative data cannot be judged simultaneously without help of mathematical methods.
  • (14) This is not an argument for the status quo: teaching must be given greater priority within HE, but the flipside has to be an understanding on the part of students, ministers, officials, the public and the media that academics (just like politicians) cannot make everyone happy all of the time.
  • (15) Gradual evolutionary change by natural selection operates so slowly within established species that it cannot account for the major features of evolution.
  • (16) Particular attention has been paid to diabetes mellitus and chronic pancreatitis, but a firm conclusion cannot be drawn.
  • (17) Simple interconversion cannot account for the changes in binding that occur upon adding GMP-PNP or removing magnesium, since the increase in [R2]t exceeds the decrease in [R1]t. Moreover, the apparent amount of high-affinity complex exhibits a biphasic dependence on the concentration of [3H]histamine; an increase at low concentrations is offset by a decrease that occurs at higher concentrations.
  • (18) Today the physician who treats women with emotional problems during menopause cannot function solely as a psychotherapist; he must deal with both their soma and psyche.
  • (19) The release of possible peptide hormones into the interpeduncular cistern, where a pool of cerebrospinal fluid and large blood vessels occur, cannot be excluded.
  • (20) However, valid electroacoustic evaluation of the DMHAs cannot be accomplished using the conventional hearing aid test box.

Unable


Definition:

  • (a.) Not able; not having sufficient strength, means, knowledge, skill, or the like; impotent' weak; helpless; incapable; -- now usually followed by an infinitive or an adverbial phrase; as, unable for work; unable to bear fatigue.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Unfortunately, due to confidentiality clauses that have been imposed on us by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, we are unable to provide our full names and … titles … However, we believe the evidence that will be submitted will validate the statements that we are making in this submission.” The submission detailed specific allegations – including names and dates – of sexual abuse of child detainees, violence and bullying of children, suicide attempts by children and medical neglect.
  • (2) Consensual but rationally weak criteria devised to extract inferences of causality from such results confirm the generic inadequacy of epidemiology in this area, and are unable to provide definitive scientific support to the perceived mandate for public health action.
  • (3) PMN were found to be nonpermissive for HSV replication and were unable to bind virus in the absence of antibody.
  • (4) E-RFC enriched for T lymphocytes and depleted of macrophages synthesized considerable DNA in response to stimulation with PHA, but were unable to produce significant bone resorbing activity in tissue culture unless macrophages were re-added to the E-RFC.
  • (5) Where he has taken a stand, like on gun control after the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, Obama was unable to achieve legislative change.
  • (6) A failure to reach a solution would potentially leave 200,000 homes without affordable cover, leaving owners unable to sell their properties and potentially exposing them to financial hardship.
  • (7) We have therefore been unable to confirm that SV5 may be a major intrathecal immunogen in multiple sclerosis.
  • (8) The ability of ligand to stimulate its own synthesis and that of its receptor suggests the presence of an autocrine positive feedback loop, however we were unable to break this loop in the breast cancer cells by antibodies that blocked the interaction of TGF alpha with the EGF receptor.
  • (9) The lymph node cells obtained from the animals 1 day after desensitization were unable to produce MIF in the presence of either antigen.
  • (10) It happens to anyone and everyone and this has been an 11-year battle.” Emergency services were called to the oval about 6.30pm to treat Luke for head injuries, but were unable to revive him.
  • (11) Therefore, 31P MR spectroscopy may be unable to quantify the cell fraction of a tumor that has radiobiologic hypoxia.
  • (12) A temperature-sensitive mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was identified which at the restrictive temperature of 37 degrees C is unable to secrete a number of cell wall-associated proteins and thus resembles previously reported sec mutants.
  • (13) The enzyme alone, solubilized and free from cytocrome b5 reductase and cytochrome b5, was unable to catalyze the desaturation of stearoyl CoA.
  • (14) "It will strike consumers as unfair that whilst the company is still trading, they are unable to use gift cards and vouchers," he said.
  • (15) The data suggest that the hypothalamic beta-E containing neurons were unable to adapt to nicotine's repeated effects on this system.
  • (16) Analogues of ATP were unable to reactivate K+-ATP channels even in the presence of Mg2+.
  • (17) PRL, human CG, ACTH, insulin, glucagon, and heat-inactivated TSH were unable to prevent the effect of medium replacement on dopaminergic inhibition of TSH and DA receptor binding.
  • (18) We were unable to detect IL-4 production by mononuclear cells and CD4+ T cell subsets suggesting that, if it is produced at all, IL-4 is produced in extremely small quantities.
  • (19) One elderly woman was left alone in the dark for hours unable to find food or drink.
  • (20) Inexperienced physicians are often unable to immediately identify these translucencies as air enclosures in the intracranial cavity.