diff --git a/examples/basic/function0002.ngr b/examples/basic/function0002.ngr
index 2ff6935..69e6e72 100644
--- a/examples/basic/function0002.ngr
+++ b/examples/basic/function0002.ngr
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 x = 1;
 function add_x(y) x + y;
 a = 3;
-function add_x_twice(y) add_x(y) + x
+function add_x_twice(y) add_x(y) + x;
 print x;
 result = add_x(a);
 print x;
diff --git a/examples/basic/function0003.ngr b/examples/basic/function0003.ngr
index 0b55b08..1813dd8 100644
--- a/examples/basic/function0003.ngr
+++ b/examples/basic/function0003.ngr
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ x = 1u64;
 function mean_x(y) {
     base = x + y;
     result = base / 2;
-    result;
+    result
 };
 a = 3;
 mean_x_and_a = mean_x(a);
diff --git a/src/syntax/parser.lalrpop b/src/syntax/parser.lalrpop
index 9798ed1..ee546b9 100644
--- a/src/syntax/parser.lalrpop
+++ b/src/syntax/parser.lalrpop
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ pub Program: Program = {
     // a program is just a set of statements
     <items:ProgramTopLevel> => Program {
         items
-    }
+    },
+    => Program { items: vec![] },
 }
 
 ProgramTopLevel: Vec<TopLevel> = {
@@ -68,17 +69,21 @@ ProgramTopLevel: Vec<TopLevel> = {
         rest.push(t);
         rest
     },
-    => Vec::new(),
+    <t:TopLevel> => vec![t],
 }
 
 pub TopLevel: TopLevel = {
     <f:Function> => f,
-    <s:Statement> => TopLevel::Statement(s),
+    <s:Statement> ";" => TopLevel::Statement(s),
 }
 
 Function: TopLevel = {
     "function" <opt_name:OptionalName> "(" <args:Arguments> OptionalComma ")" <exp:Expression> ";" =>
         TopLevel::Function(opt_name, args, exp),
+//    "function" <opt_name:OptionalName> "(" <args:Arguments> OptionalComma ")" <s:@L> "{" "}" <e:@L> =>
+//        TopLevel::Function(opt_name, args, Expression::Block(Location::new(file_idx, s..e), vec![])),
+//    "function" <opt_name:OptionalName> "(" <args:Arguments> OptionalComma ")" <s:@L> "{" <stmts:Statements> "}" <e:@L> =>
+//        TopLevel::Function(opt_name, args, Expression::Block(Location::new(file_idx, s..e), stmts)),
 }
 
 OptionalName: Option<Name> = {
@@ -112,36 +117,22 @@ Statements: Vec<Statement> = {
     // a statement is either a set of statements followed by another
     // statement (note, here, that you can name the result of a sub-parse
     // using <name: subrule>) ...
-    <mut stmts:Statements> <stmt:Statement> => {
+    <mut stmts:Statements> ";" <stmt:Statement> => {
         stmts.push(stmt);
         stmts
     },
 
-    // ... or it's nothing. This may feel like an awkward way to define
-    // lists of things -- and it is a bit awkward -- but there are actual
-    // technical reasons that you want to (a) use recursivion to define
-    // these, and (b) use *left* recursion, specifically. That's why, in
-    // this file, all of the recursive cases are to the left, like they
-    // are above.
-    //
-    // the details of why left recursion is better is actually pretty
-    // fiddly and in the weeds, and if you're interested you should look
-    // up LALR parsers versus LL parsers; both their differences and how
-    // they're constructed, as they're kind of neat.
-    //
-    // but if you're just writing grammars with lalrpop, then you should
-    // just remember that you should always use left recursion, and be
-    // done with it. 
-    => {
-        Vec::new()
+    <stmt:Statement> => {
+        vec![stmt]
     }
 }
 
+#[inline]
 Statement: Statement = {
     // A statement can be a variable binding. Note, here, that we use this
     // funny @L thing to get the source location before the variable, so that
     // we can say that this statement spans across everything.
-    <ls: @L> <v:"<var>"> <var_end: @L> "=" <e:Expression> ";" <le: @L> =>
+    <ls: @L> <v:"<var>"> <var_end: @L> "=" <e:Expression> <le: @L> =>
         Statement::Binding(
             Location::new(file_idx, ls..le),
             Name::new(v, Location::new(file_idx, ls..var_end)),
@@ -149,14 +140,14 @@ Statement: Statement = {
         ),
 
     // A statement can just be a print statement.
-    <ls: @L> "print" <name_start: @L> <v:"<var>"> <name_end: @L> ";" <le: @L> =>
+    <ls: @L> "print" <name_start: @L> <v:"<var>"> <name_end: @L> <le: @L> =>
         Statement::Print(
             Location::new(file_idx, ls..le),
             Name::new(v, Location::new(file_idx, name_start..name_end)),
         ),
 
     // A statement can just be an expression.
-    <e: Expression> ";" =>
+    <e: Expression> =>
         Statement::Expression(e),
 }
 
@@ -237,6 +228,7 @@ AtomicExpression: Expression = {
     <l: @L> <n:"<num>"> <end: @L> => Expression::Value(Location::new(file_idx, l..end), Value::Number(n.0, n.1, n.2)),
     // this expression could actually be a block!
     <s:@L> "{" <stmts:Statements> "}" <e:@L> => Expression::Block(Location::new(file_idx, s..e), stmts),
+    <s:@L> "{" "}" <e:@L> => Expression::Block(Location::new(file_idx, s..e), vec![]),
     // finally, let people parenthesize expressions and get back to a
     // lower precedence
     "(" <e:Expression> ")" => e,
diff --git a/src/syntax/validate.rs b/src/syntax/validate.rs
index de7dbee..9013ac4 100644
--- a/src/syntax/validate.rs
+++ b/src/syntax/validate.rs
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ impl Program {
     /// actually a problem.
     pub fn validate(&self) -> (Vec<Error>, Vec<Warning>) {
         let mut bound_variables = ScopedMap::new();
+        println!("validate: {}", self);
         self.validate_with_bindings(&mut bound_variables)
     }