I don't often travel by air...

[Katharina]

Test No. incompl/elem-10 "Present Tense", question 8

......... by air because the cost of flying is very high.

(a) I don't often travel
(b) I'm not often travelling
(c) I'll not often travelling

Test No. incompl/elem-10 "Present Tense", answer 8

I don't often travel by air because the cost of flying is very high.

Correct answer: (a) I don't often travel

Your answer was: correct
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Why is it so?

Katharina

[Torsten]

Hi,

Please look at the examples below to see the pattern of the Present Simple Tense:

I speak Japanese. (positive statement)
I don't speak Japanese (negative)

You read the newspaper every day. (positive statement)
You don't read the newspaper every day. (negative)

She works for Google.
She doesn't work for Google.

TOEIC listening, talks: Car dealer is promoting used cars through a radio commercial

[Lisa_Mard]

why its not "i'm not often traveling" ?

because i see the word "often" there, so i think we might use present continous tense.

[Duset]

Hello everybody.

Please help. I have a question.
Can we say "I often don't travel by air because the cost of flying is very high"?
Is it the same as "I don't often travel by air because the cost of flying is very high"?

Does anybody know about this?

[Alan]

Hi,

Interesting question concerning the position of 'often' in a negative sentence. I would say that in a positive sentence I would prefer: 'I often travel by air' rather than 'I travel often by air.' But in the negative sentence such as the one you use: I often don't travel by air because the cost of flying is very high, you are really emphasising the idea of the negation - don't travel because you are putting the stress on that aspect. In that sense I would agree that the sentence is acceptable.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Duset]

Thanks.

It's so nice that English is a various language!

[Jordano]

this is a strange questions... there are Phrases like " I really don't want to go with you".... I haven't heard adverbs after verbs( except modal and to be). Alan, could you explain better this to me? thanks...

[Thiagohwf]

Sorry Alan, but I still don't get it.
Why can't we say "I'm not often traveling by plane" ?
It means that in this especific moment in my life most part of my travels are made by other means.
Isn't that right?

Thanks a lot!

[Beeesneees]

Hello Thiagohwf,

You are suggesting use of the wrong verb. You need 'to do' not 'to be' in your context:
'I don't often travel by plane/ I do not often travel by plane'.
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Cheers m' dears!