A colleague at work, knowing I'm into words, always shares a column with me on words from her law journal. Today's column was about plurals becoming more common. I hadn't really noticed it, but they pointed out that now psychologists talk about "behaviors" and "depressions," when it used to be "behavior" and "depression." I can't say I've heard the latter much, but surely we hear all the time about "pathological behaviors" or whatever.

Have you seen this as a trend?

[It does seem as though prescriptivists write this column. For example, they say that it should be behavior.]

I didn't have the article available last night when I posted this, but I have now found it. The question came from an attorney asking if you should say best interest or best interests. The "expert" said that interest used to be a non-count noun like information, laziness, capitalism, and leisure. She goes on to say that non-count nouns aren't preceded by an article. That is, you don't say "The interest is due," but instead you say, "Interest is due." I surely didn't know that!

She then goes on to say that usage is moving into the "count category" quickly. For example, you might say "many interests" or "other considerations" or pass me some "sugars" (packets) or political "insights" or, as found in a recent law review article, "intelligences."

Except for a few of these, such as "depressions" and "intelligences," I just don't think there has been this "quick" usage change with count nouns.

But, as our family used to say at the dinner table when someone droned on and on, "Perhaps this isn't of general interest."

I've heard quite the opposite in business circles, wherein one might hear, "...getting product to the consumer," or some such singular where a plural would be expected.