diff --git a/spec/runtime/languages/arithmetic/errors.txt b/spec/runtime/languages/arithmetic/errors.txt
index 23450af5..e1c5c73e 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/languages/arithmetic/errors.txt
+++ b/spec/runtime/languages/arithmetic/errors.txt
@@ -11,6 +11,6 @@ recovers from errors inside parenthesized expressions
 x + (y * + z) * 5
 ---
 (expression
-    (term (factor (variable)))
+    (variable)
     (plus)
-    (term (factor (ERROR)) (times) (factor (number))))
\ No newline at end of file
+    (term (factor (ERROR)) (times) (number)))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/runtime/languages/arithmetic/main.txt b/spec/runtime/languages/arithmetic/main.txt
index f188c546..e092a06e 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/languages/arithmetic/main.txt
+++ b/spec/runtime/languages/arithmetic/main.txt
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@ parses numbers
 ===================
 5
 ---
-(expression (term (factor (number))))
+(expression (number))
 
 ===================
 parses variables
 ===================
 x
 ---
-(expression (term (factor (variable))))
+(expression (variable))
 
 ===================
 parses products
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ parses products
 x * x
 ---
 (expression (term
-    (factor (variable))
+    (variable)
     (times)
-    (factor (variable))))
+    (variable)))
 
 ===================
 parses sums
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ parses sums
 x + x
 ---
 (expression
-    (term (factor (variable)))
+    (variable)
     (plus)
-    (term (factor (variable))))
+    (variable))
 
 ====================
 parses complex trees
@@ -38,17 +38,17 @@ parses complex trees
 x * y + z * a
 ---
 (expression
-    (term (factor (variable)) (times) (factor (variable)))
+    (term (variable) (times) (variable))
     (plus)
-    (term (factor (variable)) (times) (factor (variable))))
+    (term (variable) (times) (variable)))
 
 =================================
 handles parenthesized expressions
 =================================
 x * (y + z)
 ---
-(expression
-    (term (factor (variable))
+(expression (term
+    (variable)
     (times)
-    (factor (expression (term (factor (variable))) (plus) (term (factor (variable)))))))
+    (factor (expression (variable) (plus) (variable)))))
 
diff --git a/spec/runtime/languages/javascript/main.txt b/spec/runtime/languages/javascript/main.txt
index dfc2a2ab..fb92fc05 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/languages/javascript/main.txt
+++ b/spec/runtime/languages/javascript/main.txt
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ var x = {};
 {};
 ---
 (program
-    (statement (assignment (identifier) (expression (literal (object)))))
-    (statement (expression (literal (object)))))
+    (statement (assignment (identifier) (object)))
+    (statement (object)))
 
 ==========================================
 parses if statements
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ if (theCondition) {
 }
 ---
 (program
-    (statement (if_statement
-        (expression (identifier))
-        (statement_block (statement (assignment (identifier) (expression (literal (number)))))))))
+    (if_statement
+        (identifier)
+        (statement_block (statement (assignment (identifier) (number))))))
 
 ==========================================
 parses if-else statements
@@ -29,9 +29,8 @@ if (theCondition) {
     var x = 4;
 }
 ---
-(program (statement
-    (if_statement
-        (expression (identifier))
-        (statement_block (statement (assignment (identifier) (expression (literal (number))))))
-        (statement_block (statement (assignment (identifier) (expression (literal (number)))))))))
+(program (if_statement
+    (identifier)
+    (statement_block (statement (assignment (identifier) (number))))
+    (statement_block (statement (assignment (identifier) (number))))))
 
diff --git a/spec/runtime/languages/json/errors.txt b/spec/runtime/languages/json/errors.txt
index 814cbd6d..621b41fb 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/languages/json/errors.txt
+++ b/spec/runtime/languages/json/errors.txt
@@ -18,16 +18,16 @@ recovers from errors inside arrays
 [1, , 2]
 ---
 (value (array
-    (value (number))
+    (number)
     (ERROR)
-    (value (number))))
+    (number)))
 
 ==========================================
 recovers from errors inside objects
 ==========================================
 { "key1": 1, oops }
 ---
-(value (object (string) (value (number)) (ERROR)))
+(value (object (string) (number) (ERROR)))
 
 ==========================================
 recovers from errors inside nested objects
@@ -35,6 +35,6 @@ recovers from errors inside nested objects
 { "key1": { "key2": 1, 2 }, [, "key3": 3 }
 ---
 (value (object
-    (string) (value (object (string) (value (number)) (ERROR)))
+    (string) (object (string) (number) (ERROR))
     (ERROR)
-    (string) (value (number))))
+    (string) (number)))
diff --git a/spec/runtime/languages/json/main.txt b/spec/runtime/languages/json/main.txt
index 6051b2d0..e80a353b 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/languages/json/main.txt
+++ b/spec/runtime/languages/json/main.txt
@@ -24,14 +24,11 @@ parses arrays
 ]
 ---
 (value (array
-    (value (number))
-    (value (null))
-    (value (true))
-    (value (false))
-    (value (object
-        (string) (value (string))
-    ))
-))
+    (number)
+    (null)
+    (true)
+    (false)
+    (object (string) (string))))
 
 ====================
 parses empty objects
@@ -49,7 +46,7 @@ parses long objects
 }
 ---
 (value (object
-	(string) (value (string))
-	(string) (value (number))
+	(string) (string)
+	(string) (number)
 ))
 
diff --git a/spec/runtime/node_position_spec.cc b/spec/runtime/node_position_spec.cc
index 463c345e..79208a1a 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/node_position_spec.cc
+++ b/spec/runtime/node_position_spec.cc
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ describe("tracking the positions of AST nodes", []() {
         const ts_tree *number2 = ts_tree_children(array, NULL)[1];
 
         AssertThat(ts_document_symbol_name(doc, array), Equals("array"));
-        AssertThat(ts_document_symbol_name(doc, number1), Equals("value"));
-        AssertThat(ts_document_symbol_name(doc, number2), Equals("value"));
+        AssertThat(ts_document_symbol_name(doc, number1), Equals("number"));
+        AssertThat(ts_document_symbol_name(doc, number2), Equals("number"));
 
         AssertThat(ts_tree_offset(number1), Equals<size_t>(0));
         AssertThat(ts_tree_size(number1), Equals<size_t>(2));
diff --git a/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc b/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
index 7643a302..6135c1c8 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
+++ b/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
@@ -24,12 +24,7 @@ describe("incremental parsing", [&]() {
 
     it("parses the input", [&]() {
         AssertThat(string(ts_document_string(doc)), Equals(
-            "(value "
-                "(object "
-                    "(string) "
-                    "(value (array "
-                        "(value (number)) "
-                        "(value (number))))))"));
+            "(value (object (string) (array (number) (number))))"));
     });
 
     it("reads the entire input", [&]() {
@@ -53,15 +48,7 @@ describe("incremental parsing", [&]() {
 
         it("updates the parse tree", [&]() {
             AssertThat(string(ts_document_string(doc)), Equals(
-                "(value "
-                    "(object "
-                        "(string) "
-                        "(value (array "
-                            "(value (number)) "
-                            "(value (number)))) "
-                        "(string) "
-                        "(value (number))))"
-            ));
+                "(value (object (string) (array (number) (number)) (string) (number)))"));
         });
 
         it("re-reads only the changed portion of the input", [&]() {
@@ -85,15 +72,7 @@ describe("incremental parsing", [&]() {
 
         it("2 updates the parse tree", [&]() {
             AssertThat(string(ts_document_string(doc)), Equals(
-                "(value "
-                    "(object "
-                        "(string) "
-                        "(value (number)) "
-                        "(string) "
-                        "(value (array "
-                            "(value (number)) "
-                            "(value (number))))))"
-            ));
+                "(value (object (string) (number) (string) (array (number) (number))))"));
         });
 
         it_skip("re-reads only the changed portion of the input", [&]() {
diff --git a/src/runtime/stack.c b/src/runtime/stack.c
index 39a0d1c9..0a0858d0 100644
--- a/src/runtime/stack.c
+++ b/src/runtime/stack.c
@@ -60,28 +60,22 @@ size_t ts_stack_right_position(const ts_stack *stack) {
 
 ts_tree * ts_stack_reduce(ts_stack *stack, ts_symbol symbol, int immediate_child_count, const int *hidden_symbol_flags) {
     size_t new_stack_size = stack->size - immediate_child_count;
-    size_t size = 0, offset = 0;
+    int flags[immediate_child_count];
 
     int child_count = 0;
     for (int i = 0; i < immediate_child_count; i++) {
         ts_tree *child = stack->entries[new_stack_size + i].node;
-        if (i == 0) {
-            offset = ts_tree_offset(child);
-            size = ts_tree_size(child);
-        } else {
-            size += ts_tree_offset(child) + ts_tree_size(child);
-        }
-
-        if (hidden_symbol_flags[ts_tree_symbol(child)]) {
-            size_t grandchild_count;
-            ts_tree_children(child, &grandchild_count);
-            child_count += grandchild_count;
-        } else {
-            child_count++;
-        }
+        size_t grandchild_count;
+        ts_tree **grandchildren = ts_tree_children(child, &grandchild_count);
+        flags[i] = (
+            hidden_symbol_flags[ts_tree_symbol(child)] ||
+            (grandchild_count == 1 && ts_tree_size(child) == ts_tree_size(grandchildren[0]))
+        );
+        child_count += (flags[i]) ? grandchild_count : 1;
     }
 
     size_t child_index = 0;
+    size_t size = 0, offset = 0;
     ts_tree **children = malloc((child_count + immediate_child_count) * sizeof(ts_tree *));
     ts_tree **immediate_children = children + child_count;
 
@@ -89,7 +83,14 @@ ts_tree * ts_stack_reduce(ts_stack *stack, ts_symbol symbol, int immediate_child
         ts_tree *child = stack->entries[new_stack_size + i].node;
         immediate_children[i] = child;
 
-        if (hidden_symbol_flags[ts_tree_symbol(child)]) {
+        if (i == 0) {
+            offset = ts_tree_offset(child);
+            size = ts_tree_size(child);
+        } else {
+            size += ts_tree_offset(child) + ts_tree_size(child);
+        }
+
+        if (flags[i]) {
             size_t grandchild_count;
             ts_tree ** grandchildren = ts_tree_children(child, &grandchild_count);
             memcpy(children + child_index, grandchildren, (grandchild_count * sizeof(ts_tree *)));