diff --git a/cfg_utils.py b/cfg_utils.py
index 0aba7218522e3bd1b1c7f946d8534a7ee9483181..0cd05ed45758961a0838031ed876305291ee381b 100644
--- a/cfg_utils.py
+++ b/cfg_utils.py
@@ -569,9 +569,7 @@ class CFGBoltzmann:
         print("    "* depth + "GPRIM arguments are", nonterminal_index, chosen_production, how_far_into_the_RHS, exact_length_total)
 
         # first, handle the ultimate degenerate case:
-        if (exact_length_total == 0):
-            print("    "* depth +"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX LENGTH ZERO RETURNING []")
-            return []
+        assert(exact_length_total != 0)
 
         # The case analysis hinges on what is at X_ijk.
 
@@ -651,7 +649,7 @@ z = CFGBoltzmann(rules, list_of_nonterminals, list_of_terminals)
 rulepack_cooked = z.preprocessor()
 
 
-qq =  z.Gzero_shimmed(nonterminals.EXPRESSION, 13)
+qq =  z.Gzero_shimmed(nonterminals.EXPRESSION, 11)
 print ("AND THE FINAL ANSWER IS","\n\n\n",qq, "\n\n\n")
 
 # Furthermore, we also note that the description of a context-free grammar is *itself* context-free