This is incorrect for formal writing, correct?

"Can't Jack come over for dinner?" is informal and not acceptable, right?

it should be "Can Jack come over for dinner?" to be formal.
Or am I completely off base? Both forms are now accepted?

Teflonn2010-12-20T22:50:26Z

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Formal writing, first off, doesn't use contractions. It's too awkward to say, "Cannot Jack come over for dinner?" so I'd stick with what you have: "Can Jack come over for dinner?" At any rate, it's always nice to ask something in a positive way, rather than a negative way.

Anonymous2010-12-21T06:01:06Z

Yeah, both forms are acceptable but if you want to cement your chances I'd stick with the latter.