diff --git a/examples/animal/Animals.gf b/examples/animal/Animals.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..33b56e740
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/Animals.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+-- The Question grammar specialized to animals.
+
+abstract Animals = Questions ** {
+
+  flags startcat=Phrase ;
+
+  fun
+    -- a lexicon of animals and actions among them
+    Dog, Cat, Mouse, Lion, Zebra : Entity ;
+    Chase, Eat, See : Action ;
+}
+
diff --git a/examples/animal/AnimalsEng.gf b/examples/animal/AnimalsEng.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..22942b735
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/AnimalsEng.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+--# -path=.:present:prelude
+--resource/english:resource/abstract:resource/../prelude
+
+concrete AnimalsEng of Animals = QuestionsEng **
+  open LangEng, ParadigmsEng, IrregEng in {
+
+  lin
+    Dog = regN "dog" ;
+    Cat = regN "cat" ;
+    Mouse = mk2N "mouse" "mice" ;
+    Lion = regN "lion" ;
+    Zebra = regN "zebra" ;
+    Chase = dirV2 (regV "chase") ;
+    Eat = dirV2 eat_V ;
+    See = dirV2 see_V ;
+}
diff --git a/examples/animal/AnimalsFre.gf b/examples/animal/AnimalsFre.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5c09490a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/AnimalsFre.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+--# -path=.:present:prelude
+
+concrete AnimalsFre of Animals = QuestionsFre **
+  open LangFre, ParadigmsFre, IrregFre in {
+
+  lin
+    Dog   = regN "chien" masculine ;
+    Cat   = regN "chat" masculine ;
+    Mouse = regN "souris" feminine ;
+    Lion  = regN "lion" masculine ;
+    Zebra = regN "zèbre" masculine ;
+    Chase = dirV2 (regV "chasser") ;
+    Eat   = dirV2 (regV "manger") ;
+    See   = voir_V2 ;
+}
diff --git a/examples/animal/AnimalsSwe.gf b/examples/animal/AnimalsSwe.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..34275ae16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/AnimalsSwe.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+--# -path=.:present:prelude
+
+concrete AnimalsSwe of Animals = QuestionsSwe **
+  open LangSwe, ParadigmsSwe, IrregSwe in {
+
+  lin
+    Dog = regN "hund" utrum ;
+    Cat = mk2N "katt" "katter" ;
+    Mouse = mkN "mus" "musen" "möss" "mössen" ;
+    Lion = mk2N "lejon" "lejon" ;
+    Zebra = regN "zebra" utrum ;
+    Chase = dirV2 (regV "jaga") ;
+    Eat = dirV2 äta_V ;
+    See = dirV2 se_V ;
+}
diff --git a/examples/animal/Questions.gf b/examples/animal/Questions.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bb25e785d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/Questions.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+-- Simple questions and answers, in present tense.
+
+abstract Questions = {
+  cat 
+    Phrase ; Entity ; Action ;
+  fun
+    Who    : Action -> Entity -> Phrase ;           -- who chases X
+    Whom   : Entity -> Action -> Phrase ;           -- whom does X chase
+    Answer : Entity -> Action -> Entity -> Phrase ; -- X chases Y
+}
diff --git a/examples/animal/QuestionsEng.gf b/examples/animal/QuestionsEng.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8a4c5c406
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/QuestionsEng.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+concrete QuestionsEng of Questions = QuestionsI with 
+  (Lang = LangEng) ;
diff --git a/examples/animal/QuestionsFre.gf b/examples/animal/QuestionsFre.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dab23b2ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/QuestionsFre.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+concrete QuestionsFre of Questions = QuestionsI with 
+  (Lang = LangFre) ;
diff --git a/examples/animal/QuestionsI.gf b/examples/animal/QuestionsI.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f1f549283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/QuestionsI.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+-- File generated by GF from QuestionsI.gfe
+--# -resource=../../lib/resource-1.0/english/LangEng.gf
+
+-- to compile: gf -examples QuestionsI.gfe
+-- or use directly gf <mkAnimals.gfs
+
+incomplete concrete QuestionsI of Questions = open Lang in {
+  lincat
+    Phrase = Phr ;
+    Entity = N ;
+    Action = V2 ;
+
+  lin 
+    Who love_V2 man_N = PhrUtt NoPConj (UttAdv (AdvSC (EmbedQS (UseQCl TPres ASimul PPos (QuestVP whoSg_IP (ComplV2 love_V2 (DetCN (DetPl (PlQuant IndefArt) NoNum NoOrd) (UseN man_N)))))))) NoVoc ; -- AMBIGUOUS:
+-- PhrUtt NoPConj (UttQS (UseQCl TPres ASimul PPos (QuestVP whoSg_IP (ComplV2 love_V2 (DetCN (DetPl (PlQuant IndefArt) NoNum NoOrd) (UseN man_N)))))) NoVoc ;
+
+    Whom man_N love_V2 = PhrUtt NoPConj (UttQS (UseQCl TPres ASimul PPos (QuestSlash whoPl_IP (SlashV2 (DetCN (DetSg (SgQuant DefArt) NoOrd) (UseN man_N)) love_V2)))) NoVoc ; -- AMBIGUOUS:
+-- PhrUtt NoPConj (UttQS (UseQCl TPres ASimul PPos (QuestSlash whoSg_IP (SlashV2 (DetCN (DetSg (SgQuant DefArt) NoOrd) (UseN man_N)) love_V2)))) NoVoc ;
+
+    Answer woman_N love_V2 man_N = PhrUtt NoPConj (UttS (UseCl TPres ASimul PPos (PredVP (DetCN (DetSg (SgQuant DefArt) NoOrd) (UseN woman_N)) (ComplV2 love_V2 (DetCN (DetPl (PlQuant IndefArt) NoNum NoOrd) (UseN man_N)))))) NoVoc ;
+
+}
diff --git a/examples/animal/QuestionsI.gfe b/examples/animal/QuestionsI.gfe
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ee18106f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/QuestionsI.gfe
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+--# -resource=../../lib/resource-1.0/english/LangEng.gf
+
+-- to compile: gf -examples QuestionsI.gfe
+-- or use directly gf <mkAnimals.gfs
+
+incomplete concrete QuestionsI of Questions = open Lang in {
+  lincat
+    Phrase = Phr ;
+    Entity = N ;
+    Action = V2 ;
+
+  lin 
+    Who  love_V2 man_N           = in Phr "who loves men" ;
+    Whom man_N love_V2           = in Phr "whom does the man love" ;
+    Answer woman_N love_V2 man_N = in Phr "the woman loves men" ;
+
+}
diff --git a/examples/animal/QuestionsSwe.gf b/examples/animal/QuestionsSwe.gf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9d59ecb2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/QuestionsSwe.gf
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+concrete QuestionsSwe of Questions = QuestionsI with 
+  (Lang = LangSwe) ;
diff --git a/examples/animal/mkAnimals.gfs b/examples/animal/mkAnimals.gfs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..304263eb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/animal/mkAnimals.gfs
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+  i -ex AnimalsEng.gf ;; s
+  i AnimalsFre.gf ;; s
+  i AnimalsSwe.gf ;; s
+  pm | wf animals.gfcm
diff --git a/src/GF/Compile/MkConcrete.hs b/src/GF/Compile/MkConcrete.hs
index d96e3e774..c8b5e338e 100644
--- a/src/GF/Compile/MkConcrete.hs
+++ b/src/GF/Compile/MkConcrete.hs
@@ -18,10 +18,11 @@ import GF.Grammar.Values (Tree,tree2exp)
 import GF.Grammar.PrGrammar (prt_)
 import GF.Grammar.Grammar (Term(Q,QC)) ---
 import GF.Grammar.Macros (composSafeOp, record2subst)
-import GF.Compile.ShellState (firstStateGrammar)
+import GF.Compile.ShellState --(firstStateGrammar,stateGrammarWords)
 import GF.Compile.PGrammar (pTerm)
 import GF.Compile.Compile
 import GF.API
+import GF.API.IOGrammar
 import qualified GF.Embed.EmbedAPI as EA
 
 import GF.Data.Operations
@@ -43,9 +44,6 @@ import Data.List
 -- Format of resource path (on first line):
 --    --# -resource=PATH
 -- Other lines are copied verbatim.
--- The resource has to be built with 
---    i -src -optimize=share SOURCE
--- because mcfg parsing is used.
 -- A sequence of files can be processed with the same resource without
 -- rebuilding the grammar and parser.
 
@@ -62,12 +60,12 @@ mkConcretes files = do
 mkCncGroups (res,files) = do
   putStrLnFlush $ "Going to preprocess examples in " ++ unwords files
   putStrLn $ "Compiling resource " ++ res
-  egr <- appIOE $ 
-    optFile2grammar (options [beSilent]) res
-  --    [useOptimizer "share",fromSource,beSilent,notEmitCode]) res --- for -mcfg
-  gr  <- err (\s -> putStrLn s >> error "resource file rejected") return egr
-  let parser cat = errVal ([],"No parse") . 
-                   optParseArgErrMsg (options [newMParser, firstCat cat, beVerbose]) gr
+  egr <- appIOE $ shellStateFromFiles (options [beSilent]) emptyShellState res
+  gr  <- err (\s -> putStrLn s >> error "resource grammar rejected") 
+           (return . firstStateGrammar) egr
+  let parser cat = 
+        errVal ([],"No parse") . 
+        optParseArgErrMsg (options [newMParser, firstCat cat, beVerbose]) gr
   let morpho = isKnownWord gr
   putStrLn "Building parser"
   mapM_ (mkConcrete parser morpho) files