grammar

Tom’s Fun with Words – Terrific

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Tom Bont

Terrific did not begin life as a compliment. It comes from the Latin terrificus, meaning “that which causes terror,” built from terrere (to frighten) and facere (to make). When the word entered English in the seventeenth century, a terrific event was something that rattled the nerves, a violent storm, a massive explosion, a spectacle that … Continue reading Tom’s Fun with Words – Terrific

Tom’s Fun with Words – Who’s Shooting Whom?

Posted on January 31, 2026February 17, 2026 by Tom Bont

The pronouns Who and whom are about grammatical roles, not importance, and their distinction mostly matters in formal writing. Who is used when the person is doing the action in the sentence. Whom is used when the person is receiving the action. A simple way to remember this is that the shooter is who, and … Continue reading Tom’s Fun with Words – Who’s Shooting Whom?