I have found multiple questions touching on this but not a single one that has a comprehensive answer. The information is all there but in little bits.
Exactly why is "Do not you sleep?" ungrammatical (except in poetry/with artistic license)? I understand that not can't contract after you: "Do you not sleep?" because not can only contract after a verb, and that it always does after do: "Don't you sleep?" but why does it (why must it) contract if it's placed after the verb in a question?
- Don't you sleep? (common form)
- Do not you sleep? (ungrammatical)
- Do you not sleep? (less common form)
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