Two ideas, one letter between half their names, and a candidate who has them straight can answer a whole family of questions without looking anything up. Sort 24 things and see which way you lean when you get one wrong.
GroundingA connection to earth. A reference, not a return path.8 of the 24
BondingMetal to metal. One potential, and a low-impedance path for fault current.12 of the 24
BothOne connection doing an earth job and a metal-to-metal job at once.4 of the 24
Grounding reaches earth. Bonding reaches metal. The reason the pair is worth this much attention is that the code names several bonding parts after grounding, so the word on the label is the least reliable clue you have.
Everything here is sortable and most of it has been argued about on a job site. Each answer explains what the thing is doing, not just which bucket it goes in, because the doing is the part that transfers to a question you have not seen.
Item 1/0Right 0one at a time
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The two halves, drawn
The first drawing is the earth half: every electrode present at a building, bonded into one system. The second is the metal half: one neutral-to-case connection at the service and none after it.
Present means required. The rod is what you use when nothing else is there, not a default.Drawn against NEC 250.50, 250.52(A) and 250.53. Sizing is Table 250.66, in your book.Bond once, at the service. After that, separate. Joining them twice puts load current on metal people touch.Drawn against NEC 250.24(B), 250.28 and 250.142(B). In editions before 2026 the load-side rule was 250.24(A)(5).