diff --git a/src/modal.c b/src/modal.c
index 226e61b..41bcb1d 100644
--- a/src/modal.c
+++ b/src/modal.c
@@ -225,9 +225,13 @@ parse_frag(char **side, char *s)
 {
 	char c, *cap;
 	while((c = *s) && c == ' ') s++;
-	if(c == ')' || c == '<' || c == '>' || (c == '(' && s[1] == ')'))
+	if(c == ')') {
 		*side = NULL;
-	else {
+		return s;
+	} else if((c == '<' && s[1] == '>') || (c == '>' && s[1] == '<') || (c == '(' && s[1] == ')')) {
+		*side = NULL;
+		return s + 2;
+	} else {
 		cap = walk(s), *side = dict_;
 		if(c == '(')
 			dict_ = copy(s + 1, dict_, cap - s - 2);
@@ -267,7 +271,7 @@ rewrite(void)
 				while(*s == ' ') s++;
 				cap = walk(s), r = find_rule(s, cap);
 				if(r != NULL) {
-					if(!quiet) fprintf(stderr, ">< (%s) (%s)\n", r->a, r->b);
+					if(!quiet) fprintf(stderr, ">< (%s) (%s)\n", r->a ? r->a : "", r->b ? r->b : "");
 					r->a = 0;
 				}
 				while(*cap == ' ') cap++;
@@ -278,7 +282,7 @@ rewrite(void)
 				r = rules_, r->id = rules_ - rules;
 				s = parse_frag(&r->b, parse_frag(&r->a, s + 2));
 				if(r->a != NULL) {
-					if(!quiet) fprintf(stderr, "<> (%s) (%s)\n", r->a, r->b);
+					if(!quiet) fprintf(stderr, "<> (%s) (%s)\n", r->a ? r->a : "", r->b ? r->b : "");
 					rules_++;
 				}
 				while(*s == ' ') s++;