diff --git a/lark/earley.py b/lark/earley.py
index e2d4814..beafe8a 100644
--- a/lark/earley.py
+++ b/lark/earley.py
@@ -105,41 +105,37 @@ class State(object):
 
 class Parser(object):
     def __init__(self, rules, start=None):
-        self.table = [[]]
         self.rules = [Rule(r['name'], r['symbols'], r.get('postprocess', None)) for r in rules]
         self.rules_by_name = classify(self.rules, lambda r: r.name)
         self.start = start or self.rules[0].name
-        initial_rules = set(self.rules_by_name[self.start])
-        self.table[0] += [State(r, 0, 0) for r in initial_rules]
-        self.advance_to(0, initial_rules)
-        self.current = 0
 
-    def advance_to(self, n, added_rules):
-        for w, s in enumerate(self.table[n]):
-            s.process(n, w, self.table, self.rules_by_name, added_rules)
+    def advance_to(self, table, n, added_rules):
+        for w, s in enumerate(table[n]):
+            s.process(n, w, table, self.rules_by_name, added_rules)
+
+    def parse(self, stream):
+        initial_rules = set(self.rules_by_name[self.start])
+        table = [[State(r, 0, 0) for r in initial_rules]]
+        self.advance_to(table, 0, initial_rules)
 
-    def parse(self, chunk):
-        chunk_pos = 0
-        for chunk_pos, chunk_item in enumerate(chunk):
-            self.table.append([])
+        for pos, token in enumerate(stream):
+            table.append([])
 
-            for s in self.table[self.current + chunk_pos]:
-                x = s.consume_terminal(chunk_item)
+            for s in table[pos]:
+                x = s.consume_terminal(token)
                 if x:
-                    self.table[self.current + chunk_pos + 1].append(x)
+                    table[pos + 1].append(x)
 
 
-            added_rules = set()
-            self.advance_to(self.current + chunk_pos + 1, added_rules)
+            self.advance_to(table, pos + 1, set())
 
-            if not self.table[-1]:
-                raise Exception('Error at line {t.line}:{t.column}'.format(t=chunk[chunk_pos]))
+            if not table[-1]:
+                raise Exception('Error at line {t.line}:{t.column}'.format(t=stream[pos]))
 
-        self.current += chunk_pos
-        return list(self.finish())
+        return list(self.finish(table))
 
-    def finish(self):
-        for t in self.table[-1]:
+    def finish(self, table):
+        for t in table[-1]:
             if (t.rule.name == self.start
                 and t.expect == len(t.rule.symbols)
                 and t.reference == 0
diff --git a/lark/examples/__init__.py b/lark/examples/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29..0000000
diff --git a/lark/examples/calc.py b/lark/examples/calc.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 2c2e1b3..0000000
--- a/lark/examples/calc.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-from lark.tree import Transformer
-from lark.lark import Lark
-
-calc_grammar = """
-    ?start: sum
-          | NAME "=" sum    -> *assign_var
-
-    ?sum: product
-        | sum "+" product   -> *add
-        | sum "-" product   -> *sub
-
-    ?product: atom
-        | product "*" atom  -> *mul
-        | product "/" atom  -> *div
-
-    ?atom: /[\d.]+/         -> *number
-         | "-" atom         -> *neg
-         | NAME             -> *var
-         | "(" sum ")"
-
-    NAME: /\w+/
-    WS.ignore: /\s+/
-"""
-
-class CalculateTree(Transformer):
-    from operator import add, sub, mul, div, neg
-    number = float
-
-    def __init__(self):
-        self.vars = {}
-
-    def assign_var(self, name, value):
-        self.vars[name] = value
-        return value
-
-    def var(self, name):
-        return self.vars[name]
-
-
-
-calc_parser = Lark(calc_grammar, parser='lalr', transformer=CalculateTree())
-calc = calc_parser.parse
-
-def main():
-    while True:
-        try:
-            s = raw_input('> ')
-        except EOFError:
-            break
-        print(calc(s))
-
-def test():
-    print calc("a = 1+2")
-    print calc("1+a*-3")
-
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    test()
-    # main()
-
diff --git a/lark/examples/json_example.py b/lark/examples/json_example.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 4e7d09d..0000000
--- a/lark/examples/json_example.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,62 +0,0 @@
-import sys
-from lark.lark import Lark
-from lark.tree import Transformer
-
-json_grammar = r"""
-    ?start: value
-
-    ?value: object
-          | array
-          | string
-          | number
-          | "true"             -> *true
-          | "false"            -> *false
-          | "null"             -> *null
-
-    array  : "[" [value ("," value)*] "]"
-    object : "{" [pair ("," pair)*] "}"
-    pair   : string ":" value
-
-    *number : /-?\d+(\.\d+)?([eE][+-]?\d+)?/
-    *string : /".*?(?<!\\)"/
-
-    WS.ignore.newline: /[ \t\n]+/
-"""
-
-class TreeToJson(Transformer):
-    def string(self, s):
-        return s[1:-1]
-
-    array = list
-    pair = tuple
-    object = dict
-    number = float
-
-    null = lambda self: None
-    true = lambda self: True
-    false = lambda self: False
-
-json_parser = Lark(json_grammar, parser='lalr', transformer=TreeToJson())
-
-def test():
-    test_json = '''
-        {
-            "empty_object" : {},
-            "empty_array"  : [],
-            "booleans"     : { "YES" : true, "NO" : false },
-            "numbers"      : [ 0, 1, -2, 3.3, 4.4e5, 6.6e-7 ],
-            "strings"      : [ "This", [ "And" , "That" ] ],
-            "nothing"      : null
-        }
-    '''
-
-    j = json_parser.parse(test_json)
-    print j
-    import json
-    assert j == json.loads(test_json)
-
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    test()
-    with open(sys.argv[1]) as f:
-        print json_parser.parse(f.read())
-
diff --git a/lark/lark.py b/lark/lark.py
index cbca35d..87d19bd 100644
--- a/lark/lark.py
+++ b/lark/lark.py
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 from __future__ import absolute_import
 
-from .utils import STRING_TYPE
+import functools
+import types
+
+from .utils import STRING_TYPE, inline_args
 from .load_grammar import load_grammar
 from .tree import Tree, Transformer
 
@@ -36,6 +39,10 @@ class LarkOptions(object):
         self.parser = o.pop('parser', 'earley')
         self.transformer = o.pop('transformer', None)
 
+        assert self.parser in ENGINE_DICT
+        if self.parser == 'earley' and self.transformer:
+            raise ValueError('Cannot specify an auto-transformer when using the Earley algorithm. Please use your transformer on the resulting parse tree, or use a different algorithm (i.e. lalr)')
+
         if o:
             raise ValueError("Unknown options: %s" % o.keys())
 
@@ -45,11 +52,11 @@ class Callback(object):
 
 
 class RuleTreeToText(Transformer):
-    def expansions(self, *x):
+    def expansions(self, x):
         return x
-    def expansion(self, *symbols):
+    def expansion(self, symbols):
         return [sym.value for sym in symbols], None
-    def alias(self, (expansion, _alias), alias):
+    def alias(self, ((expansion, _alias), alias)):
         assert _alias is None, (alias, expansion, '-', _alias)
         return expansion, alias.value
 
@@ -78,12 +85,6 @@ def create_expand1_tree_builder_function(tree_builder):
             return tree_builder(children)
     return f
 
-def create_rule_inline(f):
-    def _f(children):
-        return f(*children)
-    return _f
-
-
 class LALR:
     def build_parser(self, rules, callback):
         ga = GrammarAnalyzer(rules)
@@ -109,6 +110,7 @@ class EarleyParser:
         return res[0]
 
 
+ENGINE_DICT = { 'lalr': LALR, 'earley': Earley }
 
 class Lark:
     def __init__(self, grammar, **options):
@@ -144,10 +146,7 @@ class Lark:
 
         self.lexer = self._build_lexer()
         if not self.options.only_lex:
-            self.parser_engine = {
-                    'lalr': LALR,
-                    'earley': Earley,
-                }[self.options.parser]()
+            self.parser_engine = ENGINE_DICT[self.options.parser]()
             self.parser = self._build_parser()
 
     def _build_lexer(self):
@@ -171,27 +170,25 @@ class Lark:
                     raise Exception("Rule %s is marked for expansion (it starts with an underscore) and isn't allowed to have aliases" % origin)
 
                 expand1 = origin.startswith('?')
-                inline_args = origin.startswith('*') or (alias and alias.startswith('*'))
                 _origin = origin.lstrip('?*')
                 if alias:
                     alias = alias.lstrip('*')
                 _alias = 'autoalias_%s_%s' % (_origin, '_'.join(expansion))
 
-                assert not hasattr(callback, _alias)
-                f = getattr(transformer, alias or _origin, None)
-                if f is None:
+                try:
+                    f = transformer._get_func(alias or _origin)
+                    # f = getattr(transformer, alias or _origin)
+                except AttributeError:
                     if alias:
                         f = self._create_tree_builder_function(alias)
                     else:
                         f = self._create_tree_builder_function(_origin)
                         if expand1:
                             f = create_expand1_tree_builder_function(f)
-                else:
-                    if inline_args:
-                        f = create_rule_inline(f)
 
                 alias_handler = create_rule_handler(expansion, f)
 
+                assert not hasattr(callback, _alias)
                 setattr(callback, _alias, alias_handler)
 
                 rules.append((_origin, expansion, _alias))
diff --git a/lark/load_grammar.py b/lark/load_grammar.py
index 0b41b91..01a4aa5 100644
--- a/lark/load_grammar.py
+++ b/lark/load_grammar.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ from lexer import Lexer, Token
 from grammar_analysis import GrammarAnalyzer
 from parser import Parser
 
-from tree import Tree as T, Transformer, Visitor
+from tree import Tree as T, Transformer, InlineTransformer, Visitor
 
 _TOKEN_NAMES = {
     ':' : 'COLON',
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ class SaveDefinitions(object):
     def item(self, *x): pass
 
 
-class EBNF_to_BNF(Transformer):
+class EBNF_to_BNF(InlineTransformer):
     def __init__(self):
         self.new_rules = {}
         self.prefix = 'anon'
@@ -286,7 +286,6 @@ def inline_args(f):
         return f(*args)
     return _f
 
-
 class GrammarLoader:
     def __init__(self):
         self.rules = list(generate_aliases())
diff --git a/lark/tree.py b/lark/tree.py
index e840b46..a056430 100644
--- a/lark/tree.py
+++ b/lark/tree.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from utils import inline_args
 
 class Tree(object):
     def __init__(self, data, children):
@@ -53,20 +54,29 @@ class Tree(object):
 
 
 class Transformer(object):
+    def _get_func(self, name):
+        return getattr(self, name)
+
     def transform(self, tree):
         items = [self.transform(c) if isinstance(c, Tree) else c for c in tree.children]
         try:
-            f = getattr(self, tree.data)
+            f = self._get_func(tree.data)
         except AttributeError:
             return self.__default__(tree.data, items)
         else:
-            return f(*items)
+            return f(items)
 
 
     def __default__(self, data, children):
         return Tree(data, children)
 
 
+class InlineTransformer(Transformer):
+    def _get_func(self, name):
+        return inline_args(getattr(self, name)).__get__(self)
+
+
+
 class Visitor(object):
     def visit(self, tree):
         for child in tree.children:
diff --git a/lark/utils.py b/lark/utils.py
index 2ec1490..b210ee6 100644
--- a/lark/utils.py
+++ b/lark/utils.py
@@ -49,3 +49,23 @@ except NameError:   # Python 3
 Str = type(u'')
 
 
+import functools
+import types
+def inline_args(f):
+    # print '@@', f.__name__, type(f), isinstance(f, types.FunctionType), isinstance(f, types.TypeType), isinstance(f, types.BuiltinFunctionType)
+    if isinstance(f, types.FunctionType):
+        @functools.wraps(f)
+        def _f_func(self, args):
+            return f(self, *args)
+        return _f_func
+    elif isinstance(f, (types.TypeType, types.BuiltinFunctionType)):
+        @functools.wraps(f)
+        def _f_builtin(self, args):
+            return f(*args)
+        return _f_builtin
+    else:
+        @functools.wraps(f)
+        def _f(self, args):
+            return f.__func__(self, *args)
+        return _f
+