I see mistakes, people

Spring break begins after classes Friday. And all copy eds know what that means. You guessed it. More time to find errors on every piece of reading material available. From billboards to restaurant menus to yard signs. Apostrophes misplaced! Commas missing! Spellings butchered! Exclamation points everywhere! Aaaah. That's what life's all about, baby!

Following spring break is a time of year I despise, not for what is but for what it isn't. It's time to "preregister." And it's not a word! It makes me cringe just thinking about it. "Pre-" is a prefix meaning "before." "Register" means to enroll or sign up. So the so-called word "preregister" would mean "before register." It simply does not make sense. I'm sure I've gotten about 200 e-mails in the last six years telling me to remind students to "preregister" for classes. And don't get me started on press releases that require people to "preregister" for this or that seminar, workshop or whatnot. "Preregistration is required." What does that mean? How about this: Advance registration is required. Think about it. You register before something starts. That doesn't mean you're "preregistering." It means you're signing up. If you sign up after it starts, you sign up late. That's not "postregistration." It's "late registration." How about this? No late registration allowed!

Ooh, I'm having too much fun. I must prepare to teach my class. Does that mean I'm "prelecturing"? I'd hate to have to "postlecture." No self-respecting journalism student would dare attend.

P.S. If you enjoy this type of discussion, check out the latest edition of William Safire's On Language column in The New York Times Magazine.