Index: src/ResolvExpr/AlternativeFinder.cc
===================================================================
--- src/ResolvExpr/AlternativeFinder.cc	(revision d67cdb749954789d84d7a8bbabc0ec601347a7bb)
+++ src/ResolvExpr/AlternativeFinder.cc	(revision 4e66a188a07c435c3295bee4f83f72c8069781a8)
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@
 	}
 
-	void AlternativeFinder::find( Expression *expr, bool adjust, bool prune ) {
+	void AlternativeFinder::find( Expression *expr, bool adjust, bool prune, bool failFast ) {
 		expr->accept( *this );
-		if ( alternatives.empty() ) {
+		if ( failFast && alternatives.empty() ) {
 			throw SemanticError( "No reasonable alternatives for expression ", expr );
 		}
@@ -191,5 +191,5 @@
 			AltList::iterator oldBegin = alternatives.begin();
 			pruneAlternatives( alternatives.begin(), alternatives.end(), front_inserter( alternatives ) );
-			if ( alternatives.begin() == oldBegin ) {
+			if ( failFast && alternatives.begin() == oldBegin ) {
 				std::ostringstream stream;
 				AltList winners;
@@ -214,6 +214,14 @@
 	}
 
-	void AlternativeFinder::findWithAdjustment( Expression *expr, bool prune ) {
-		find( expr, true, prune );
+	void AlternativeFinder::findWithAdjustment( Expression *expr ) {
+		find( expr, true );
+	}
+
+	void AlternativeFinder::findWithoutPrune( Expression * expr ) {
+		find( expr, true, false );
+	}
+
+	void AlternativeFinder::maybeFind( Expression * expr ) {
+		find( expr, true, true, false );
 	}
 
@@ -714,11 +722,8 @@
 
 		// find function operators
+		static NameExpr *opExpr = new NameExpr( "?()" );
 		AlternativeFinder funcOpFinder( indexer, env );
-		NameExpr *opExpr = new NameExpr( "?()" );
-		try {
-			funcOpFinder.findWithAdjustment( opExpr );
-		} catch( SemanticError &e ) {
-			// it's ok if there aren't any defined function ops
-		}
+		// it's ok if there aren't any defined function ops
+		funcOpFinder.maybeFind( opExpr);
 		PRINT(
 			std::cerr << "known function ops:" << std::endl;
@@ -928,6 +933,5 @@
 		AlternativeFinder finder( indexer, env );
 		// don't prune here, since it's guaranteed all alternatives will have the same type
-		// (giving the alternatives different types is half of the point of ConstructorExpr nodes)
-		finder.findWithAdjustment( castExpr->get_arg(), false );
+		finder.findWithoutPrune( castExpr->get_arg() );
 		for ( Alternative & alt : finder.alternatives ) {
 			alternatives.push_back( Alternative(
@@ -1226,5 +1230,5 @@
 		// don't prune here, since it's guaranteed all alternatives will have the same type
 		// (giving the alternatives different types is half of the point of ConstructorExpr nodes)
-		finder.findWithAdjustment( ctorExpr->get_callExpr(), false );
+		finder.findWithoutPrune( ctorExpr->get_callExpr() );
 		for ( Alternative & alt : finder.alternatives ) {
 			alternatives.push_back( Alternative( new ConstructorExpr( alt.expr->clone() ), alt.env, alt.cost ) );
Index: src/ResolvExpr/AlternativeFinder.h
===================================================================
--- src/ResolvExpr/AlternativeFinder.h	(revision d67cdb749954789d84d7a8bbabc0ec601347a7bb)
+++ src/ResolvExpr/AlternativeFinder.h	(revision 4e66a188a07c435c3295bee4f83f72c8069781a8)
@@ -34,7 +34,11 @@
 	  public:
 		AlternativeFinder( const SymTab::Indexer &indexer, const TypeEnvironment &env );
-		void find( Expression *expr, bool adjust = false, bool prune = true );
+		void find( Expression *expr, bool adjust = false, bool prune = true, bool failFast = true );
 		/// Calls find with the adjust flag set; adjustment turns array and function types into equivalent pointer types
-		void findWithAdjustment( Expression *expr, bool prune = true );
+		void findWithAdjustment( Expression *expr );
+		/// Calls find with the adjust flag set and prune flag unset; pruning ensures there is at most one alternative per result type
+		void findWithoutPrune( Expression *expr );
+		/// Calls find with the adjust and prune flags set, failFast flags unset; fail fast ensures that there is at least one resulting alternative
+		void maybeFind( Expression *expr );
 		AltList &get_alternatives() { return alternatives; }