diff --git a/src/combinators/repeated.rs b/src/combinators/repeated.rs
index 4dac5b1..295d3fd 100644
--- a/src/combinators/repeated.rs
+++ b/src/combinators/repeated.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use crate::combinators::separated_by::SeparatedBy;
-use crate::parser::{BoxedParser, ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput};
+use crate::parser::{BoxedParser, ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput, Representation};
 
 pub fn repeated<'a, P, I, O>(parser: P) -> Repeated<'a, I, O>
 where
@@ -83,4 +83,8 @@ where
 
         Ok((results, further_input))
     }
+
+    fn representation(&self) -> Representation {
+        Representation::new("NOT IMPL'D")
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/combinators/separated_by.rs b/src/combinators/separated_by.rs
index 3c2350b..7cb2ba1 100644
--- a/src/combinators/separated_by.rs
+++ b/src/combinators/separated_by.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use crate::combinators::repeated::Repeated;
-use crate::parser::{BoxedParser, ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput};
+use crate::parser::{BoxedParser, ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput, Representation};
 
 pub struct SeparatedBy<'a, I, O>
 where
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ impl<'a, I, O> Parser<I, Vec<O>, I> for SeparatedBy<'a, I, O>
 where
     I: ParserInput + Clone + 'a,
 {
+    fn representation(&self) -> Representation {
+        Representation::new("NOT IMPL'D")
+    }
+
     fn parse(&self, input: I) -> ParseResult<I, Vec<O>, I> {
         let at_least = self.inner_repeated.at_least.unwrap_or(0);
         let at_most = self.inner_repeated.at_most.unwrap_or(u16::MAX);
diff --git a/src/parser/boxed_parser.rs b/src/parser/boxed_parser.rs
index e59da3f..a2b9712 100644
--- a/src/parser/boxed_parser.rs
+++ b/src/parser/boxed_parser.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::parser::{ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput};
+use crate::parser::{ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput, Representation};
 
 pub struct BoxedParser<'a, I, O, E>
 where
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ where
 }
 
 impl<'a, I: ParserInput, O, E> Parser<I, O, E> for BoxedParser<'a, I, O, E> {
+    fn representation(&self) -> Representation {
+        Representation::new("NOT IMPL'D")
+    }
     fn parse(&self, input: I) -> ParseResult<I, O, E> {
         self.inner.parse(input)
     }
diff --git a/src/parser/mod.rs b/src/parser/mod.rs
index e0c8eb3..cb540e9 100644
--- a/src/parser/mod.rs
+++ b/src/parser/mod.rs
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 mod boxed_parser;
 mod named_parser;
 mod parser_input;
+mod representation;
 
 use std::rc::Rc;
 
 pub use boxed_parser::BoxedParser;
 pub use named_parser::NamedParser;
 pub use parser_input::ParserInput;
+pub use representation::Representation;
 
 pub type ParseResult<I, O, E> = Result<(O, I), E>;
 
@@ -16,6 +18,8 @@ where
 {
     fn parse(&self, input: I) -> ParseResult<I, O, E>;
 
+    fn representation(&self) -> Representation;
+
     fn boxed<'a>(self) -> BoxedParser<'a, I, O, E>
     where
         Self: Sized + 'a,
@@ -141,6 +145,23 @@ where
     fn parse(&self, input: I) -> ParseResult<I, O, E> {
         self(input)
     }
+
+    fn representation(&self) -> Representation {
+        Representation::new("NOT IMPL'D")
+    }
+}
+
+impl<I: ParserInput, O, E, F> Parser<I, O, E> for (F, Representation)
+where
+    F: Fn(I) -> ParseResult<I, O, E>,
+{
+    fn parse(&self, input: I) -> ParseResult<I, O, E> {
+        self.0(input)
+    }
+
+    fn representation(&self) -> Representation {
+        self.1.clone()
+    }
 }
 
 impl<I, O, E, T> Parser<I, O, E> for Rc<T>
@@ -151,4 +172,8 @@ where
     fn parse(&self, input: I) -> ParseResult<I, O, E> {
         self.as_ref().parse(input)
     }
+
+    fn representation(&self) -> Representation {
+        self.as_ref().representation()
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/parser/named_parser.rs b/src/parser/named_parser.rs
index d035412..94a651d 100644
--- a/src/parser/named_parser.rs
+++ b/src/parser/named_parser.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use super::boxed_parser::BoxedParser;
-use crate::parser::{ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput};
+use crate::parser::{ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput, Representation};
 
 pub struct NamedParser<'a, I, O, E>
 where
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ where
 }
 
 impl<'a, I: ParserInput, O, E> Parser<I, O, E> for NamedParser<'a, I, O, E> {
+    fn representation(&self) -> Representation {
+        Representation::new("NOT IMPL'D")
+    }
+
     fn parse(&self, input: I) -> ParseResult<I, O, E> {
         self.inner_parser.parse(input)
     }
diff --git a/src/parser/representation.rs b/src/parser/representation.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f0e10d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/parser/representation.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct Representation {
+    val: String
+}
+
+impl Representation {
+    pub fn new(from: &str) -> Self {
+        Self { val: from.to_string() }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/primitives/mod.rs b/src/primitives/mod.rs
index 13bd273..f8ed2fc 100644
--- a/src/primitives/mod.rs
+++ b/src/primitives/mod.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::parser::{ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput};
+use crate::parser::{ParseResult, Parser, ParserInput, Representation};
 
 pub fn literal_char(expected: char) -> impl Fn(&str) -> ParseResult<&str, char, &str> {
     move |input| match input.chars().next() {
@@ -7,11 +7,13 @@ pub fn literal_char(expected: char) -> impl Fn(&str) -> ParseResult<&str, char,
     }
 }
 
-pub fn literal(expected: &'static str) -> impl Fn(&str) -> ParseResult<&str, &str, &str> {
-    move |input| match input.get(0..expected.len()) {
+pub fn literal<'a>(expected: &'static str) -> impl Parser<&'a str, &'a str, &'a str> {
+    println!("literal call expected: {}", expected);
+    let p = move |input: &'a str| match input.get(0..expected.len()) {
         Some(next) if next == expected => Ok((expected, &input[expected.len()..])),
         _ => Err(input),
-    }
+    };
+    (p, Representation::new("yolo"))
 }
 
 pub fn any_char(input: &str) -> ParseResult<&str, char, &str> {
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@ pub fn any_char(input: &str) -> ParseResult<&str, char, &str> {
 }
 
 pub fn one_of<'a>(items: &'static str) -> impl Parser<&'a str, &'a str, &'a str> {
-    move |input: &'a str| {
+    let p = move |input: &'a str| {
         if let Some(ch) = input.chars().next() {
             if items.contains(ch) {
                 let (first, rest) = input.split_at(1);
@@ -30,7 +32,15 @@ pub fn one_of<'a>(items: &'static str) -> impl Parser<&'a str, &'a str, &'a str>
             }
         }
         Err(input)
+    };
+
+    let mut s = String::new();
+    for ch in items.chars() {
+        s.push(ch);
+        s.push_str(" | ");
     }
+    let rep = Representation::new(&s);
+    (p, rep)
 }
 
 pub fn pred<P, F, I, O>(parser: P, pred_fn: F) -> impl Parser<I, O, I>
@@ -39,7 +49,8 @@ where
     P: Parser<I, O, I>,
     F: Fn(&O) -> bool,
 {
-    move |input| {
+    let orig_rep = parser.representation();
+    (move |input| {
         parser.parse(input).and_then(|(result, rest)| {
             if pred_fn(&result) {
                 Ok((result, rest))
@@ -47,7 +58,7 @@ where
                 Err(rest)
             }
         })
-    }
+    }, Representation::new(&format!("{:?} if <PREDICATE>", orig_rep)))
 }
 
 /// Parses a standard identifier in a programming language
diff --git a/tests/json_parser.rs b/tests/json_parser.rs
index 647f8a1..fc20614 100644
--- a/tests/json_parser.rs
+++ b/tests/json_parser.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ proptest! {
 
 #[test]
 fn test_parsing() {
-    let output = literal("a")("a yolo");
+    let output = literal("a").parse("a yolo");
     assert_eq!(output.unwrap(), ("a", " yolo"));
 }