diff --git a/Src/Common/Controls/Widgets/FwComboBox.cs b/Src/Common/Controls/Widgets/FwComboBox.cs
index e27beed32b..2d50b6ec9e 100644
--- a/Src/Common/Controls/Widgets/FwComboBox.cs
+++ b/Src/Common/Controls/Widgets/FwComboBox.cs
@@ -1069,8 +1069,8 @@ protected void ShowDropDownBox()
 			}
 			else
 			{
-				//m_comboListBox.FormWidth = this.Size.Width;
-				sz.Width = Width;
+				// If the programmer set an explicit width for the list box, that width is stored in DropDownWidth.
+				sz.Width = DropDownWidth;
 			}
 
 			if (sz != m_dropDownBox.Form.Size)
diff --git a/Src/Common/Controls/Widgets/PopupTree.cs b/Src/Common/Controls/Widgets/PopupTree.cs
index 3372056dc3..f39d04cb54 100644
--- a/Src/Common/Controls/Widgets/PopupTree.cs
+++ b/Src/Common/Controls/Widgets/PopupTree.cs
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ protected override Size DefaultSize
 		{
 			get
 			{
-				return new Size(300, 600);
+				return new Size(300, 400);
 				// Previously, used (120, 200) for the default size.
 				// Width set to 120 lets the popuptree dropdown match the width of the box that it drops down from,
 				// but this doesn't allow enough space to view trees that contain several layers.
diff --git a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/MSAGroupBox.cs b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/MSAGroupBox.cs
index fdf8510652..49445e0570 100644
--- a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/MSAGroupBox.cs
+++ b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/MSAGroupBox.cs
@@ -625,7 +625,6 @@ private void InitializeComponent()
 			//
 			this.m_fwcbAffixTypes.AdjustStringHeight = true;
 			this.m_fwcbAffixTypes.DropDownStyle = System.Windows.Forms.ComboBoxStyle.DropDownList;
-			this.m_fwcbAffixTypes.DropDownWidth = 140;
 			this.m_fwcbAffixTypes.DroppedDown = false;
 			resources.ApplyResources(this.m_fwcbAffixTypes, "m_fwcbAffixTypes");
 			this.m_fwcbAffixTypes.Name = "m_fwcbAffixTypes";
@@ -642,7 +641,8 @@ private void InitializeComponent()
 			// m_tcMainPOS
 			//
 			this.m_tcMainPOS.AdjustStringHeight = true;
-			this.m_tcMainPOS.DropDownWidth = 140;
+			// Setting width to match the default width used by popuptree
+			this.m_tcMainPOS.DropDownWidth = 300;
 			this.m_tcMainPOS.DroppedDown = false;
 			resources.ApplyResources(this.m_tcMainPOS, "m_tcMainPOS");
 			this.m_tcMainPOS.Name = "m_tcMainPOS";
diff --git a/Src/LexText/ParserCore/FwXmlTraceManager.cs b/Src/LexText/ParserCore/FwXmlTraceManager.cs
index 79a9fe45f2..9fa8155d33 100644
--- a/Src/LexText/ParserCore/FwXmlTraceManager.cs
+++ b/Src/LexText/ParserCore/FwXmlTraceManager.cs
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 using SIL.Machine.Morphology.HermitCrab.MorphologicalRules;
 using SIL.Machine.Morphology.HermitCrab.PhonologicalRules;
 using SIL.Machine.FeatureModel;
+using SIL.Machine.Annotations;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Text;
 
 namespace SIL.FieldWorks.WordWorks.Parser
 {
@@ -129,16 +132,18 @@ public void PhonologicalRuleApplied(IPhonologicalRule rule, int subruleIndex, Wo
 		{
 			((XElement) output.CurrentTrace).Add(new XElement("PhonologicalRuleSynthesisTrace",
 				CreateHCRuleElement("PhonologicalRule", rule),
-				CreateWordElement("Input", input, false),
-				CreateWordElement("Output", output, false)));
+				// Show bracketed to make debugging phonological rules easier (fixes LT-18682).
+				CreateWordElement("Input", input, false, true),
+				CreateWordElement("Output", output, false, true)));
 		}
 
 		public void PhonologicalRuleNotApplied(IPhonologicalRule rule, int subruleIndex, Word input, FailureReason reason, object failureObj)
 		{
 			var pruleTrace = new XElement("PhonologicalRuleSynthesisTrace",
 				CreateHCRuleElement("PhonologicalRule", rule),
-				CreateWordElement("Input", input, false),
-				CreateWordElement("Output", input, false));
+				// Show bracketed to make debugging phonological rules easier (fixes LT-18682).
+				CreateWordElement("Input", input, false, true),
+				CreateWordElement("Output", input, false, true));
 
 			var rewriteRule = rule as RewriteRule;
 			if (rewriteRule != null)
@@ -386,16 +391,36 @@ private static XElement CreateInflFeaturesElement(string name, FeatureStruct fs)
 			return new XElement(name, fs.Head().ToString().Replace(",", ""));
 		}
 
-		private static XElement CreateWordElement(string name, Word word, bool analysis)
+		private static XElement CreateWordElement(string name, Word word, bool analysis, bool bracketed = false)
 		{
 			string wordStr;
 			if (word == null)
 				wordStr = "*None*";
 			else
-				wordStr = analysis ? word.Shape.ToRegexString(word.Stratum.CharacterDefinitionTable, true) : word.Shape.ToString(word.Stratum.CharacterDefinitionTable, true);
+				wordStr = analysis
+					? word.Shape.ToRegexString(word.Stratum.CharacterDefinitionTable, true)
+					: bracketed ? ToBracketedString(word.Shape, word.Stratum.CharacterDefinitionTable)
+					: word.Shape.ToString(word.Stratum.CharacterDefinitionTable, true);
 			return new XElement(name, wordStr);
 		}
 
+		private static string ToBracketedString(IEnumerable<ShapeNode> nodes, CharacterDefinitionTable table)
+		{
+			StringBuilder stringBuilder = new StringBuilder();
+			foreach (ShapeNode node in nodes)
+			{
+				string text = table.GetMatchingStrReps(node).FirstOrDefault();
+				if (text != null)
+				{
+					if (text.Length > 1)
+						text = "(" + text + ")";
+					stringBuilder.Append(text);
+				}
+			}
+
+			return stringBuilder.ToString();
+		}
+
 		private XElement CreateMorphemeElement(Morpheme morpheme)
 		{
 			var msaID = (int?) morpheme.Properties[HCParser.MsaID] ?? 0;
diff --git a/Src/views/VwSelection.cpp b/Src/views/VwSelection.cpp
index 6f13539dfc..e8922cdd1e 100644
--- a/Src/views/VwSelection.cpp
+++ b/Src/views/VwSelection.cpp
@@ -5315,6 +5315,7 @@ void VwTextSelection::MakeSubString(ITsString * ptss, int ichMin, int ichLim, IT
 	int cch;
 	CheckHr(ptss->GetBldr(&qtsb));
 	CheckHr(ptss->get_Length(&cch));
+
 	if (ichLim < cch)
 		CheckHr(qtsb->Replace(ichLim, cch, NULL, NULL));
 	if (ichMin)
@@ -5342,16 +5343,25 @@ void VwTextSelection::MakeSubString(ITsString * ptss, int ichMin, int ichLim, IT
 
 			if (wsNew <= 0)
 			{
-				// Still don't have a writing system, so use the WS of the last run that the
-				// selection is located in.
-				int cRun;
-				CheckHr(m_qtsbProp->get_RunCount(&cRun));
-				Assert(cRun > 0);
-				CheckHr(m_qtsbProp->get_Properties(cRun - 1, &qttp));
-				CheckHr(qttp->GetIntPropValues(ktptWs, &var, &wsNew));
+				if(m_qtsbProp)
+				{
+					// Still don't have a writing system, so use the WS of the last run that the
+					// selection is located in.
+					int cRun;
+					CheckHr(m_qtsbProp->get_RunCount(&cRun));
+					Assert(cRun > 0);
+					CheckHr(m_qtsbProp->get_Properties(cRun - 1, &qttp));
+					CheckHr(qttp->GetIntPropValues(ktptWs, &var, &wsNew));
+				}
 			}
 
-			Assert(wsNew > 0);
+			if(wsNew <= 0)
+			{
+				// After every effort no suitable source for a ws was found
+				// This is noteworty, but instead of failing we'll just leave the builder without a new ws
+				Assert(wsNew > 0);
+				return;
+			}
 			// update the builder with the new writing system
 			CheckHr(qtsb->get_Properties(0, &qttp));
 			ITsPropsBldrPtr qtpb;