diff --git a/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor b/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
index ff71231544..79db4dd6dc 100644
--- a/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
+++ b/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
@@ -241,3 +241,12 @@ IN: modern.tests
         { "<BAR" { } "BAR>" }
     }
 } [ "foo:: <FOO FOO> [ 0 ] [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] <BAR BAR>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+
+
+{ t } [ "![[ ]]" [ rewrite-string-exact ] keep sequence= ] unit-test
+{ t } [ "![=[ ]=]" [ rewrite-string-exact ] keep sequence= ] unit-test
+{ t } [ "![==[ ]==]" [ rewrite-string-exact ] keep sequence= ] unit-test
+
+{ t } [ "foo[[ ]]" [ rewrite-string-exact ] keep sequence= ] unit-test
+{ t } [ "foo[=[ ]=]" [ rewrite-string-exact ] keep sequence= ] unit-test
+{ t } [ "foo[==[ ]==]" [ rewrite-string-exact ] keep sequence= ] unit-test
diff --git a/extra/modern/modern.factor b/extra/modern/modern.factor
index 7a45e5a6c4..b42817026a 100644
--- a/extra/modern/modern.factor
+++ b/extra/modern/modern.factor
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ MACRO:: read-matched ( ch -- quot: ( n string tag -- n' string slice' ) )
 
 : take-comment ( n string slice -- n' string comment )
     2over ?nth char: \[ = [
-        [ 1 + ] 2dip 2over ?nth read-double-matched-bracket
+        [ 1 + ] 2dip 1 modify-to 2over ?nth read-double-matched-bracket
     ] [
         [ slice-til-eol drop ] dip swap 2array
     ] if ;