diff --git a/R/eval.R b/R/eval.R
index 0e599ce0..af1703ae 100644
--- a/R/eval.R
+++ b/R/eval.R
@@ -95,12 +95,9 @@ evaluate <- function(input,
     if (length(dev.list()) < devn) dev.set(dev)
     devn <- length(dev.list())
 
-    expr <- parsed$expr[[i]]
-    if (!is.null(expr))
-      expr <- as.expression(expr)
-    out[[i]] <- evaluate_call(
-      expr,
-      parsed$src[[i]],
+    out[[i]] <- evaluate_top_level_expression(
+      exprs = parsed$expr[[i]],
+      src = parsed$src[[i]],
       envir = envir,
       enclos = enclos,
       debug = debug,
@@ -128,27 +125,22 @@ evaluate <- function(input,
   unlist(out, recursive = FALSE, use.names = FALSE)
 }
 
-evaluate_call <- function(call,
-                          src = NULL,
-                          envir = parent.frame(),
-                          enclos = NULL,
-                          debug = FALSE,
-                          last = FALSE,
-                          use_try = FALSE,
-                          keep_warning = TRUE,
-                          keep_message = TRUE,
-                          log_echo = FALSE,
-                          log_warning = FALSE,
-                          output_handler = new_output_handler(),
-                          include_timing = FALSE) {
+evaluate_top_level_expression <- function(exprs,
+                                          src = NULL,
+                                          envir = parent.frame(),
+                                          enclos = NULL,
+                                          debug = FALSE,
+                                          last = FALSE,
+                                          use_try = FALSE,
+                                          keep_warning = TRUE,
+                                          keep_message = TRUE,
+                                          log_echo = FALSE,
+                                          log_warning = FALSE,
+                                          output_handler = new_output_handler(),
+                                          include_timing = FALSE) {
+  stopifnot(is.expression(exprs))
   if (debug) message(src)
 
-  if (is.null(call) && !last) {
-    source <- new_source(src, call[[1]], output_handler$source)
-    return(list(source))
-  }
-  stopifnot(is.call(call) || is.language(call) || is.atomic(call) || is.null(call))
-
   # Capture output
   w <- watchout(debug)
   on.exit(w$close())
@@ -161,7 +153,7 @@ evaluate_call <- function(call,
     cat(src, "\n", sep = "", file = stderr())
   }
 
-  source <- new_source(src, call[[1]], output_handler$source)
+  source <- new_source(src, exprs[[1]], output_handler$source)
   output <- list(source)
 
   dev <- dev.cur()
@@ -249,7 +241,7 @@ evaluate_call <- function(call,
   user_handlers <- output_handler$calling_handlers
 
   multi_args <- length(formals(value_handler)) > 1
-  for (expr in call) {
+  for (expr in exprs) {
     srcindex <- length(output)
     time <- timing_fn(handle(
       ev <- withCallingHandlers(
diff --git a/R/parse.R b/R/parse.R
index b896a9df..f57cb868 100644
--- a/R/parse.R
+++ b/R/parse.R
@@ -7,11 +7,30 @@
 #'   If a connection, will be opened and closed only if it was closed initially.
 #' @param filename string overriding the file name
 #' @param allow_error whether to allow syntax errors in `x`
-#' @return A data.frame with columns `src`, the source code, and
-#'   `expr`. If there are syntax errors in `x` and `allow_error =
-#'   TRUE`, the data frame has an attribute `PARSE_ERROR` that stores the
-#'   error object.
+#' @return 
+#' A data frame with columns `src`, a character vector of source code, and 
+#' `expr`, a list-column of parsed expressions. There will be one row for each 
+#' top-level expression in `x`. A top-level expression is a complete expression 
+#' which would trigger execution if typed at the console. The `expression`
+#' object in `expr` can be of any length: it will be 0 if the top-level 
+#' expression contains only whitespace and/or comments; 1 if the top-level 
+#' expression is a single scalar (like `TRUE`, `1`, or `"x"`), name, or call; 
+#' or 2 if the top-level expression uses `;` to put multiple expressions on 
+#' one line.
+#' 
+#' If there are syntax errors in `x` and `allow_error = TRUE`, the data 
+#' frame will have an attribute `PARSE_ERROR` that stores the error object.
 #' @export
+#' @examples
+#' source <- "
+#'   # a comment
+#'   x
+#'   x;y
+#' "
+#' parsed <- parse_all(source)
+#' lengths(parsed$expr)
+#' str(parsed$expr)
+#' 
 parse_all <- function(x, filename = NULL, allow_error = FALSE) UseMethod("parse_all")
 
 #' @export
@@ -40,7 +59,7 @@ parse_all.character <- function(x, filename = NULL, allow_error = FALSE) {
   # No code, only comments and/or empty lines
   ne <- length(exprs)
   if (ne == 0) {
-    return(data.frame(src = append_break(x), expr = I(rep(list(NULL), n))))
+    return(data.frame(src = append_break(x), expr = I(rep(list(expression()), n))))
   }
 
   srcref <- attr(exprs, "srcref", exact = TRUE)
@@ -78,7 +97,7 @@ parse_all.character <- function(x, filename = NULL, allow_error = FALSE) {
     r <- p[1]:p[2]
     data.frame(
       src = x[r],
-      expr = I(rep(list(NULL), p[2] - p[1] + 1)),
+      expr = I(rep(list(expression()), p[2] - p[1] + 1)),
       line = r - 1
     )
   }))
diff --git a/man/parse_all.Rd b/man/parse_all.Rd
index 7b8a0f13..26eee692 100644
--- a/man/parse_all.Rd
+++ b/man/parse_all.Rd
@@ -15,11 +15,31 @@ If a connection, will be opened and closed only if it was closed initially.}
 \item{allow_error}{whether to allow syntax errors in \code{x}}
 }
 \value{
-A data.frame with columns \code{src}, the source code, and
-\code{expr}. If there are syntax errors in \code{x} and \code{allow_error = TRUE}, the data frame has an attribute \code{PARSE_ERROR} that stores the
-error object.
+A data frame with columns \code{src}, a character vector of source code, and
+\code{expr}, a list-column of parsed expressions. There will be one row for each
+top-level expression in \code{x}. A top-level expression is a complete expression
+which would trigger execution if typed at the console. The \code{expression}
+object in \code{expr} can be of any length: it will be 0 if the top-level
+expression contains only whitespace and/or comments; 1 if the top-level
+expression is a single scalar (like \code{TRUE}, \code{1}, or \code{"x"}), name, or call;
+or 2 if the top-level expression uses \verb{;} to put multiple expressions on
+one line.
+
+If there are syntax errors in \code{x} and \code{allow_error = TRUE}, the data
+frame will have an attribute \code{PARSE_ERROR} that stores the error object.
 }
 \description{
 Works very similarly to parse, but also keeps original formatting and
 comments.
 }
+\examples{
+source <- "
+  # a comment
+  x
+  x;y
+"
+parsed <- parse_all(source)
+lengths(parsed$expr)
+str(parsed$expr)
+
+}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-eval.R b/tests/testthat/test-eval.R
index ee7bef8f..1879d495 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-eval.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-eval.R
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+test_that("can evaluate expressions of all lengths", {
+  source <- "
+    # a comment
+    1
+    x <- 2; x
+  "
+  expect_no_error(evaluate(source))
+})
+
 test_that("log_echo causes output to be immediately written to stderr()", {
   f <- function() {
     1
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-parse.R b/tests/testthat/test-parse.R
index b66957c9..2c592125 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-parse.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-parse.R
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+test_that("expr is always an expression", {
+  expect_equal(parse_all("#")$expr[[1]], expression())
+  expect_equal(parse_all("1")$expr[[1]], expression(1), ignore_attr = "srcref")
+  expect_equal(parse_all("1;2")$expr[[1]], expression(1, 2), ignore_attr = "srcref")
+
+  parsed <- parse_all("#\n1\n1;2")
+  expect_equal(lengths(parsed$expr), c(0, 1, 2))
+})
+
 test_that("{ not removed", {
 
   f <- function() {