Please help me with the sentence structure

Question

Hey, can someone help me understand this sentence structure:

'Should you be buying a second-hand smartphone?'

Be buying - what is the type of structure and what it is for?

I searched on the internet but couldn't find anything. Thank you very much for your help.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Miturami112Be buying - what is the type of structure and what it is for?

It goes with the modal auxiliary "should".

These are the modal continuous tenses for "buy":

can be buying; could be buying; shall be buying; should be buying;
will be buying; would be buying;
may be buying; might be buying; must be buying

They are the continuous (also called 'progressive') counterparts of the following simple modal tenses:

can buy; could buy; shall buy; should buy;
will buy; would buy;
may buy; might buy; must buy

Simple: Should you buy a second-hand smartphone?
Continuous: Should you be buying a second-hand smartphone?

You might see the simple form in a magazine advertisement. It asks the reader to consider the question of buying second-hand smartphones in a general way. The magazine article will probably have a discussion of the pros and cons of such a purchase.

You are more likely to hear the continuous form if you have already told a friend that you are probably going to buy a second-hand smartphone. Your friend is asking you to consider your decision carefully without saying directly that you shouldn't buy the phone.

CJ

Please help me with the sentence structure

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions