diff --git a/ssc/ast/nodes.functions.cs b/ssc/ast/nodes.functions.cs
index 146ec79..8b8b7fb 100644
--- a/ssc/ast/nodes.functions.cs
+++ b/ssc/ast/nodes.functions.cs
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ using System.Linq;
 
 namespace arookas {
 	class sunBuiltinDeclaration : sunNode {
-		public sunIdentifier Builtin { get { return this[0] as sunIdentifier; } }
-		public sunParameterList Parameters { get { return this[1] as sunParameterList; } }
+		public sunIdentifier Builtin { get { return this[1] as sunIdentifier; } }
+		public sunParameterList Parameters { get { return this[2] as sunParameterList; } }
 
 		public sunBuiltinDeclaration(sunSourceLocation location)
 			: base(location) { }
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@ namespace arookas {
 	}
 
 	class sunFunctionDefinition : sunNode {
-		public sunIdentifier Function { get { return this[0] as sunIdentifier; } }
-		public sunParameterList Parameters { get { return this[1] as sunParameterList; } }
-		public sunNode Body { get { return this[2]; } }
+		public sunIdentifier Function { get { return this[1] as sunIdentifier; } }
+		public sunParameterList Parameters { get { return this[2] as sunParameterList; } }
+		public sunNode Body { get { return this[3]; } }
 
 		public sunFunctionDefinition(sunSourceLocation location)
 			: base(location) { }
diff --git a/ssc/ast/nodes.keywords.cs b/ssc/ast/nodes.keywords.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a03e248
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ssc/ast/nodes.keywords.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+namespace arookas {
+	class sunConstKeyword : sunNode {
+		public sunConstKeyword(sunSourceLocation location)
+			: base(location) { }
+	}
+}
diff --git a/ssc/ast/nodes.variables.cs b/ssc/ast/nodes.variables.cs
index 7afcd8f..56caa09 100644
--- a/ssc/ast/nodes.variables.cs
+++ b/ssc/ast/nodes.variables.cs
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 	}
 
 	class sunVariableDeclaration : sunNode {
-		public sunIdentifier Variable { get { return this[0] as sunIdentifier; } }
+		public sunIdentifier Variable { get { return this[1] as sunIdentifier; } }
 
 		public sunVariableDeclaration(sunSourceLocation location)
 			: base(location) { }
@@ -33,9 +33,9 @@
 	}
 
 	class sunVariableDefinition : sunNode {
-		public sunIdentifier Variable { get { return this[0] as sunIdentifier; } }
-		public sunAssign Operator { get { return this[1] as sunAssign; } }
-		public sunExpression Expression { get { return this[2] as sunExpression; } }
+		public sunIdentifier Variable { get { return this[1] as sunIdentifier; } }
+		public sunAssign Operator { get { return this[2] as sunAssign; } }
+		public sunExpression Expression { get { return this[3] as sunExpression; } }
 
 		public sunVariableDefinition(sunSourceLocation location)
 			: base(location) { }
@@ -47,9 +47,9 @@
 	}
 
 	class sunStorableAssignment : sunNode {
-		public sunIdentifier Storable { get { return this[0] as sunIdentifier; } }
-		public sunAssign Operator { get { return this[1] as sunAssign; } }
-		public sunExpression Expression { get { return this[2] as sunExpression; } }
+		public sunIdentifier Storable { get { return this[1] as sunIdentifier; } }
+		public sunAssign Operator { get { return this[2] as sunAssign; } }
+		public sunExpression Expression { get { return this[3] as sunExpression; } }
 
 		public sunStorableAssignment(sunSourceLocation location)
 			: base(location) { }
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@
 	}
 
 	class sunConstantDefinition : sunNode {
-		public sunIdentifier Constant { get { return this[0] as sunIdentifier; } }
-		public sunExpression Expression { get { return this[2] as sunExpression; } }
+		public sunIdentifier Constant { get { return this[1] as sunIdentifier; } }
+		public sunExpression Expression { get { return this[3] as sunExpression; } }
 
 		public sunConstantDefinition(sunSourceLocation location)
 			: base(location) { }
diff --git a/ssc/parser.cs b/ssc/parser.cs
index 1689120..a62318c 100644
--- a/ssc/parser.cs
+++ b/ssc/parser.cs
@@ -207,52 +207,15 @@ namespace arookas {
 				case __sunConstants.BREAK_STATEMENT: return new sunBreak(location);
 				case __sunConstants.CONTINUE_STATEMENT: return new sunContinue(location);
 			}
-
-			// cleanup keywords punctuation
-			switch (GetId(node)) {
-				// keywords
-				case __sunConstants.IMPORT:
-				case __sunConstants.BUILTIN:
-				case __sunConstants.FUNCTION:
-				case __sunConstants.VAR:
-				case __sunConstants.CONST:
-
-				case __sunConstants.IF:
-				case __sunConstants.ELSE:
-				case __sunConstants.DO:
-				case __sunConstants.WHILE:
-				case __sunConstants.FOR:
-
-				case __sunConstants.RETURN:
-				case __sunConstants.BREAK:
-				case __sunConstants.CONTINUE:
-
-				case __sunConstants.YIELD:
-				case __sunConstants.EXIT:
-				case __sunConstants.LOCK:
-				case __sunConstants.UNLOCK:
-				case __sunConstants.INT:
-				case __sunConstants.FLOAT:
-				case __sunConstants.TYPEOF:
-
-				case __sunConstants.TRUE:
-				case __sunConstants.FALSE:
-
-				// punctuation
-				case __sunConstants.L_BRACE:
-				case __sunConstants.R_BRACE:
-				case __sunConstants.L_PAREN:
-				case __sunConstants.R_PAREN:
-				case __sunConstants.L_BRACKET:
-				case __sunConstants.R_BRACKET:
-				case __sunConstants.COLON:
-				case __sunConstants.SEMICOLON:
-				case __sunConstants.COMMA:
-				case __sunConstants.DOT:
-				case __sunConstants.ELLIPSIS:
-				case __sunConstants.QMARK: {
-						return null;
+			
+			// keywords
+			if (id == __sunConstants.CONST) {
+				switch (parent) {
+					case __sunConstants.FUNCTION_MODIFIERS:
+					case __sunConstants.BUILTIN_MODIFIERS: {
+						return new sunConstKeyword(location);
 					}
+				}
 			}
 
 			// emergency fallback
diff --git a/ssc/sunscript.grammar b/ssc/sunscript.grammar
index d25dc60..67258bb 100644
--- a/ssc/sunscript.grammar
+++ b/ssc/sunscript.grammar
@@ -178,12 +178,14 @@ float_cast								= FLOAT L_PAREN expression R_PAREN;
 typeof_cast								= TYPEOF L_PAREN expression R_PAREN;
 
 // constants
-const_definition					= CONST IDENTIFIER ASSIGN expression;
+const_definition					= const_modifiers IDENTIFIER ASSIGN expression;
+const_modifiers						= [LOCAL] CONST;
 
 // variables
 variable_reference				= IDENTIFIER; // used in expressions
-variable_declaration			= VAR IDENTIFIER;
-variable_definition				= VAR IDENTIFIER ASSIGN expression;
+variable_declaration			= variable_modifiers IDENTIFIER;
+variable_definition				= variable_modifiers IDENTIFIER ASSIGN expression;
+variable_modifiers				= [LOCAL] VAR;
 variable_assignment				= IDENTIFIER assignment_operator expression;
 variable_augment					= postfix_augment | prefix_augment;
 
@@ -191,14 +193,16 @@ postfix_augment						= IDENTIFIER augment_operator;
 prefix_augment						= augment_operator IDENTIFIER;
 
 // functions
-function_definition				= FUNCTION IDENTIFIER parameter_list statement_block;
+function_definition				= function_modifiers IDENTIFIER parameter_list statement_block;
+function_modifiers				= [LOCAL] [CONST] FUNCTION;
 function_call							= IDENTIFIER argument_list;
 
 parameter_list						= L_PAREN [IDENTIFIER {COMMA IDENTIFIER} [COMMA ELLIPSIS] | ELLIPSIS] R_PAREN; // e.g. (a, b, ...)
 argument_list							= L_PAREN [expression {COMMA expression}] R_PAREN;
 
 // builtins
-builtin_declaration				= BUILTIN IDENTIFIER parameter_list;
+builtin_declaration				= builtin_modifiers IDENTIFIER parameter_list;
+builtin_modifiers					= [LOCAL] [CONST] BUILTIN;
 
 // flow control
 if_statement							= IF expression statement [ELSE statement];