show interest or interests?

Question

is "interest" countable or uncountable? i know it's uncountable when it refers to money. which one is right? : They have shown great 'interest' in that way. vs. They have shown great 'interests' in that way.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

superduperThey have shown great 'interest' in that way. vs. They have shown great 'interests' in that way.

Use the singular/uncountable in this particular usage.

Superduper · Answer

thanks for the quick answer!
one more quick qustion. what about "have interest in" then?
should i use sing/uncount. in this case, too?

Avangi · Answer

superdupershould i use sing/uncount. in this case, too?

Yes. (capital "I")

I'm assuming you mean "interest" in the sense of "curiosity," or the desire to know something.

In the case of "financial interest," the countable is more common, but both are possible.
I'm just trying to protect my interest/interests. I have an interest in that venture.

Edit. In retrospect, it's also natural to say "I have an interest in the future of Planet Earth," or something like that,
in which you may be referring to idle curiosity or to a real stake.

I'm going to say that "to show [an] interest" and "to have [an] interest" are both [ C ] & [ U ].

(better look it up!) http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/interest_1?q=interest

Superduper · Answer

Thank you so much!! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/97.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/97.gif' alt='Emotion: clap'/>

show interest or interests?

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