diff --git a/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor b/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
index abca72deb4..b230f40f23 100644
--- a/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
+++ b/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
@@ -5,116 +5,121 @@ IN: modern.tests
 
 ! Comment
 {
-    { { "!" "" } }
+    {
+        { { "!" "" } }
+    }
 } [ "!" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { { "!" " lol" } }
+    {
+        { { "!" " lol" } }
+    }
 } [ "! lol" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { "lol!" }
+    { { "lol!" } }
 } [ "lol!" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { { "!" "lol" } }
+    { { { "!" "lol" } } }
 } [ "!lol" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 ! Colon
 {
-    { ":asdf:" }
+    { { ":asdf:" } }
 } [ ":asdf:" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { { "one:" "1" } }
+    { { { "one:" "1" } } }
 } [ "one: 1" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { "1" ":>" "one" }
+    { { "1" } { ":>" } { "one" } }
 } [ "1 :> one" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { { ":" { "foo" } ";" } }
+    { { { ":" { "foo" } ";" } } }
 } [ ": foo ;" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
     {
-        { "FOO:" { "a" } }
-        { "BAR:" { "b" } }
+        { { "FOO:" { "a" } } }
+        { { "BAR:" { "b" } } }
     }
 } [ "FOO: a BAR: b" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
     {
-        { "FOO:" { "a" } ";" }
+        { { "FOO:" { "a" } ";" } }
     }
 } [ "FOO: a ;" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
     {
-        { "FOO:" { "a" } "FOO;" }
+        { { "FOO:" { "a" } "FOO;" } }
     }
 } [ "FOO: a FOO;" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 
 ! Acute
 {
-    { { "<A" { } "A>" } }
+    { { { "<A" { } "A>" } } }
 } [ "<A A>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { { "<B:" { "hi" } ";B>" } }
+    { { { "<B:" { "hi" } ";B>" } } }
 } [ "<B: hi ;B>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
-{ { "<foo>" } } [ "<foo>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { ">foo<" } } [ ">foo<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "<foo>" } } } [ "<foo>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { ">foo<" } } } [ ">foo<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
-{ { "foo>" } } [ "foo>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { ">foo" } } [ ">foo" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { ">foo>" } } [ ">foo>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { ">>foo>" } } [ ">>foo>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { ">>foo>>" } } [ ">>foo>>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "foo>" } } } [ "foo>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { ">foo" } } } [ ">foo" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { ">foo>" } } } [ ">foo>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { ">>foo>" } } } [ ">>foo>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { ">>foo>>" } } } [ ">>foo>>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
-{ { "foo<" } } [ "foo<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { "<foo" } } [ "<foo" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { "<foo<" } } [ "<foo<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { "<<foo<" } } [ "<<foo<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { "<<foo<<" } } [ "<<foo<<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "foo<" } } } [ "foo<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "<foo" } } } [ "<foo" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "<foo<" } } } [ "<foo<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "<<foo<" } } } [ "<<foo<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "<<foo<<" } } } [ "<<foo<<" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 ! Backslash \AVL{ foo\bar foo\bar{
 {
-    { { "SYNTAX:" { "\\AVL{" } } }
+    { { { "SYNTAX:" { "\\AVL{" } } } }
 } [ "SYNTAX: \\AVL{" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 [ "\\" string>literals >strings ] must-fail ! \ alone should be legal eventually (?)
-{ { "\\FOO" } } [ "\\FOO" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+
+{ { { "\\FOO" } } } [ "\\FOO" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { "foo\\bar" }
+    { { "foo\\bar" } }
 } [ "foo\\bar" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 [ "foo\\bar{" string>literals >strings ] must-fail
 
 {
-    { { "foo\\bar{" { "1" } "}" } }
+    { { { "foo\\bar{" { "1" } "}" } } }
 } [ "foo\\bar{ 1 }" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
-{ { { "char:" "\\{" } } } [ "char: \\{" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { { "char:" "\\{" } } } } [ "char: \\{" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 [ "char: {" string>literals >strings ] must-fail
 [ "char: [" string>literals >strings ] must-fail
 [ "char: {" string>literals >strings ] must-fail
 [ "char: \"" string>literals >strings ] must-fail
-{ { { "char:" "\\\\" } } } [ "char: \\\\" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { { "char:" "\\\\" } } } } [ "char: \\\\" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 [ "char: \\" string>literals >strings ] must-fail ! char: \ should be legal eventually
 
 ! \ backslash going away someday
 
-{ { { "\\" "(" } } } [ "\\ (" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { { "\\" "(" } } } } [ "\\ (" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
-{ { "\\[[" } } [ "\\[[" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { "\\[=[" } } [ "\\[=[" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
-{ { "\\[==[" } } [ "\\[==[" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "\\[[" } } } [ "\\[[" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "\\[=[" } } } [ "\\[=[" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+{ { { "\\[==[" } } } [ "\\[==[" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 
 { t } [ "FOO:" strict-upper? ] unit-test
@@ -133,34 +138,38 @@ IN: modern.tests
 
 ! Strings
 {
-    { { "url\"" "google.com" "\"" } }
+    { { { "url\"" "google.com" "\"" } } }
 } [ [[ url"google.com" ]] string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
-    { { "\"" "google.com" "\"" } }
+    { { { "\"" "google.com" "\"" } } }
 } [ [[ "google.com" ]] string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 ! Concatenated syntax
 {
     {
-        { "(" { "a" "b" } ")" }
-        { "[" { "a" "b" "+" } "]" }
-        { "(" { "c" } ")" }
+        {
+            { "(" { "a" "b" } ")" }
+            { "[" { "a" "b" "+" } "]" }
+            { "(" { "c" } ")" }
+        }
     }
 } [ "( a b )[ a b + ]( c )" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 {
     {
-        { "(" { "a" "b" } ")" }
-        { "[" { "a" "b" "+" } "]" }
-        { "(" { "c" } ")" }
+        { { "(" { "a" "b" } ")" } }
+        { { "[" { "a" "b" "+" } "]" } }
+        { { "(" { "c" } ")" } }
     }
 } [ "( a b ) [ a b + ] ( c )" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
 
 
 {
     {
-        { "\"" "abc" "\"" }
-        { "[" { "0" } "]" }
+        {
+            { "\"" "abc" "\"" }
+            { "[" { "0" } "]" }
+        }
     }
 } [ "\"abc\"[ 0 ]" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
diff --git a/extra/modern/modern.factor b/extra/modern/modern.factor
index dec72646b4..8cc7dc8cda 100644
--- a/extra/modern/modern.factor
+++ b/extra/modern/modern.factor
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ ERROR: no-backslash-payload n string slice ;
 ! If the slice is 0 width, we stopped on whitespace.
 ! Advance the index and read again!
 : read-token-or-whitespace ( n string slice -- n' string slice/f )
-    dup length 0 = [ [ 1 + ] 2dip ] when ;
+    dup length 0 = [ [ 1 + ] 2dip drop lex-factor ] when ;
 
 ERROR: mismatched-terminator n string slice ;
 : read-terminator ( n string slice -- n' string slice ) ;