Alumni refers to a group of men and women who have attended a school, alumnus refers to a male graduate and alumna refers to a female graduate. Use alumnae for references to more than one female grad.

Amazing how often I see this mixed up.

Fiance is the man, fiancee is the woman.

Commas

Commas ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.

Example: Clinton’s book, “My Life,” sold 900,000 copies in its first week.

Question marks

They ALWAYS go inside quotation marks, and when we quote someone asking a question, use a question mark and NO comma or period afterward.

Example: “When will police do something about the violence in our neighborhood?” the boy’s mother asked.

Periods

They ALWAYS go inside quotation marks.

Example: The tribute to Houston featured many of her songs, including “I Will Always Love You.”

Semicolons

Semicolons go outside quotation marks.

Example: She said she loved the book “Game Change”; she hasn’t seen the movie yet.

Colons

Colons also go outside quotation marks. This often comes up in headlines.

Example: Christie on “Morning Joe”: I’m Not Running

Introducing direct quotes

Use a comma to introduce a one-sentence quotation within a sentence, but use a colon for quotations of more than one sentence.

Smith said, “We are cooperating with the investigation.”

Smith said: “We are cooperating with the investigation. We deny that any crime took place.”

Only those entitled to state funerals may formally lie in state, and state funerals take place in the Capitol’s rotunda in Washington.

So when an official dies and his casket is placed in a city courthouse, for example, he does not lie in state.

Those automatically entitled to state funerals are the president, former presidents and presidents-elect. Beyond that, the president can designate any others for state funerals.

Unless you are referring to Lot’s wife or the parking lot’s borders.

When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.

Example: His sentencing was set for Aug. 13.

Spell out all months when using alone, or with a year alone.

Example: The festival takes place every February.
Example: There were fewer bike summonses in October 2010 when compared with October 2009.

Rules on this vary by publication and outlet, so you’ll see acceptable differences everywhere.

Here are my go-to rules for what not to capitalize in basic title case.

Articles: an, the, a

Coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, nor, for

Short prepositions: as, at, from, in, into, of, off, on, onto, over, to

Important note: when these words are the first or last word in the headline or title, you DO capitalize them.

To lie means rest in or get into a horizontal position. To lay something means to place it elsewhere, and it always takes a direct object.

Example: He lies on the sidewalk.

Example: The prosecutor plans to lay the case aside until next year.

What complicates this is that the past tense of lie is also lay.

Example:  He lay on the sidewalk overnight.

And the past tense of lay is laid.

Example: The prosecutor laid the case aside until next year.

The present participle looks more like the present form. Present participle of lie is lying and of lay is laying.

Example: He is lying on the sidewalk.

Example: The prosecutor is laying the case aside until next year.

Bible – capitalized on its own, but biblical is lowercase

Champagne – capitalized, as it refers to sparkling wine from a particular region in France

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day – both eve and day are capitalized

dreidel – not capitalized

egg nog – two words, not capitalized

fruitcake – one word, not capitalized

Kriss Kringle, not Kris. It’s derived from the German “Christkindl,” or “baby Jesus”

Kwanzaa – capitalized. Runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1

Magi – capitalized. Refers to the three wise men

Mass – always capitalized, although modifiers like “midnight Mass”  are not capitalized

menorah – not capitalized

Nativity scene – only first word is capitalized

New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day – again, both eve and day are capitalized

North Pole – capitalized

yule, yuletide – both lowercase

Who is the subject, and never the object of the sentence.

Example: The suspect, who was arrested Monday, is set to be arraigned on murder charges.

Example: The victim said she did not know the man who robbed her.

Whom is used as the object of the sentence.

Example: The suspect, whom police found hiding in the closet, is set to be arraigned on murder charges.

Example: All 10 victims, only five of whom have been identified, appeared to have connections to the same workplace.

Here’s a trick to test whether you should use whom or who. Try the same phrase with an object pronoun, like him, her or them, and then try it with a subject pronoun, like he, she or they. If the object pronoun works, you use whom. If the subject pronoun works, use who.

Example, using the first who example above:

HE was arrested Monday (subject pronoun)

HIM was arrested Monday (object pronoun)

HE is the one that works, so in that case you’d use who.

Example, using the second who example above:

HE robbed her (subject pronoun)

HIM robbed her (object pronoun)

HE is the one that works, so you use who.

Example, using the first whom example above:

Police found HIM hiding in the closet (object pronoun)

Police found HE hiding in the closet (subject pronoun)

HIM is the one that works, so in that case you’d use whom.

Example, using the second whom example above:

Only five of THEM have been identified (object pronoun)

Only five of THEY have been identified (subject pronoun)

THEM is the one that works, so you’d use whom.