diff --git a/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/combinator-parser.scm b/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/combinator-parser.scm
index 51f28f403e..913a06963b 100644
--- a/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/combinator-parser.scm
+++ b/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/combinator-parser.scm
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
                   [(and (res? result) (res-a result) (null? (res-rest result)))
                    (car (res-a (!!! result)))]
                   [(and (res? result) (res-a result) (res-possible-error result))
-                   (printf "res fail~n")
                    (fail-type->message (!!! (res-possible-error result)))]
                   [(and (res? result) (res-a result))
                    (make-err
@@ -32,7 +31,6 @@
                     (and src? 
                          (make-src-lst (position-token-start-pos (!!! (car (res-rest result)))))))]
                   [(res? result) 
-                   (printf "res fail2~n")
                    (fail-type->message (res-msg (!!! result)))]
                   [(or (choice-res? result) (pair? result))
                    (let* ([options (if (choice-res? result) (choice-res-matches result) result)]
@@ -47,7 +45,7 @@
                      (cond 
                        [(not (null? finished-options)) (car (res-a (!!! (car finished-options))))]
                        [(not (null? possible-errors))
-                        (printf "choice or pair fail~n")
+                        ;(printf "choice or pair fail~n")
                         (!!! (fail-type->message
                               (res-possible-error (!!! (car (sort-used possible-errors))))))]                
                        [else
@@ -62,12 +60,13 @@
                   [(and (repeat-res? result) (eq? 'out-of-input (repeat-res-stop (!!! result))))
                    (res-a (repeat-res-a result))]
                   [(and (repeat-res? result) (fail-type? (repeat-res-stop (!!! result))))
-                   (printf "repeat-fail~n")
+                   ;(printf "repeat-fail~n")
                    (!!! (fail-type->message (!!! (repeat-res-stop (!!! result)))))]
                   [else (error 'parser (format "Internal error: recieved unexpected input ~a" 
                                                (!!! result)))])])
           (cond
             [(err? out)
+             ;(printf "returning error")
              (make-err (!!! (err-msg out))
                        (list (!!! file) 
                              (!!! (first (err-src out)))
diff --git a/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/combinator.scm b/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/combinator.scm
index ee61af84e9..932ee4cb88 100644
--- a/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/combinator.scm
+++ b/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/combinator.scm
@@ -26,8 +26,7 @@
                [spell? (if spell? spell? 
                            (lambda (token)
                              (when (position-token? token) (set! token (position-token-token token)))
-                             (and (token-value token)
-                                  (misspelled name (token-value token)))))]
+                             (if (token-value token) (misspelled name (token-value token)) 0)))]
                [case? (if case? case?
                           (lambda (token)
                             (when (position-token? token) (set! token (position-token-token token)))
diff --git a/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/errors.scm b/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/errors.scm
index 4d0c2d579f..c80159c0e4 100644
--- a/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/errors.scm
+++ b/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/errors.scm
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
              [name (fail-type-name fail-type)]
              [a (a/an name)]
              [msg (lambda (m) (make-err m (fail-type-src fail-type)))])
-        #;(printf "fail-type->message ~a~n" fail-type)
+        ;(printf "fail-type->message ~a~n" fail-type)
         (cond
           [(terminal-fail? fail-type)
            (combine-message
@@ -184,8 +184,8 @@
     (define (first-n n lst)
       (let loop ([count 0] [l lst])
         (cond
-          [(= count n) null]
-          [else (cons (car lst) (loop (add1 count) (cdr lst)))])))
+          [(>= count n) null]
+          [else (cons (car l) (loop (add1 count) (cdr l)))])))
     
     (define (get-ties lst evaluate)
       (letrec ([getter
diff --git a/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/parser-sigs.ss b/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/parser-sigs.ss
index 0e23688998..191a27db02 100644
--- a/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/parser-sigs.ss
+++ b/collects/combinator-parser/private-combinator/parser-sigs.ss
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@
                              (thunk (token-value x))
                              (thunk (token-value x) (car args) (cadr args))))
                        name
-                       (lambda (token) #f)
+                       (lambda (token) 0)
                        (lambda (token) #f))) ...))))]))))
         
      (define-syntaxes (sequence choose ^)