Who vs. Whom and a Word About Tacos (7 of 40)

Allow me to let you into a smidgen of my own personal neurosis. I’m a bit of a grammar/punctuation snob. There’s a very real part of me that feels I may have missed my calling as copy editor. I’m not saying it’s right, but at any given moment, chances are I’m silently judging correcting verbal and/or written conversations in my head.

Among my list of pet peeves:

Phonetic spelling: This is single-handedly why I will never own a personalized license plate. If what you’re trying to say cannot correctly fit in the allotted six spaces, for the love of Pete, pick something else! Otherwise, the GDBY on your plate might mean “good-bye” or “good boy” or “God boy.” Or, maybe what you’re actually trying to convey is “Gee, Debby” in which case I have to ask…"Who is this Debby and what has she done?" I simply do not know, and it’s maddening.  

Extraaaaa voweeeels: Can someone explain this one to me? I noticed the young folk, and by that I mean anyone born beyond 1990, like to do this. Why??? I do not understand the need to hyper-annunciate to the point of incorrect spelling. It also seems inefficient. It takes you longer to type, and it takes me longer to read.

The lowercase “i”: Entirely unnecessary. Spell check will actually correct this for you. It feels like an intentional attack on my eyes and I will be mildly offended.

Irregardless: Once again, loudly for the people in the back: THIS. IS. NOT. A. WORD.

I’m not even going to go into the there-they’re-their debacle.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest (whew, what a relief), I have a confession to make: I have gone nearly 40 years without knowing the proper difference between who and whom. The shame, the SHAME I tell you! Worst of all, I only needed a quick Google search to find the answer. I have included a video tutorial below for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/4B_KU7iQ0pg