diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 69582b1..d9c2eee 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([1.9 tar-pax])
 AX_INIT_STANDARD_PROJECT
 
 # requirements, uncomment, what you need:
-AX_USE_CXX
+AX_USE_CXX_11
 #AX_USE_LIBTOOL
 AX_USE_SCRIPTS
 AX_USE_DOXYGEN
diff --git a/src/commands.hxx b/src/commands.hxx
index cd4bd36..bcebba0 100644
--- a/src/commands.hxx
+++ b/src/commands.hxx
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@
 #include <memory>
 #include <sstream>
 #include <cassert>
+#include <istream>
+#include <ostream>
 #include <xml-cxx/xml.hxx>
 #include <mrw/stdext.hxx>
 
@@ -210,24 +212,27 @@ class Command: public QObject {
     }
     QStringList quotedStrings(QString value,
                               QString delimiter = " ",
-                              bool keepDelimiters = false) const {
+                              bool keepDelimiters = false,
+                              unsigned int max = 0) const {
       QStringList res;
       QString quot("'\"");
+      unsigned int found(0);
       while (value=value.trimmed(), value.size()) {
         QRegularExpression re;
         int start(0);
         if (quot.contains(value[0])) {
-          re = QRegularExpression(value[0]+" *(("+delimiter+" *)|$)");
+          re = QRegularExpression(value[0]+" *((("+delimiter+") *)|$)");
           start = 1;
         } else {
-          re = QRegularExpression("( *"+delimiter+" *)|$");
+          re = QRegularExpression(" *((("+delimiter+") *)|$)");
         }
         int pos(value.indexOf(re, start));
         if (pos<start) throw BadArgument("quote missmatch in "+value);
         QRegularExpressionMatch m(re.match(value, start));
         res += value.mid(start, m.capturedStart()-start);
         value.remove(0, m.capturedEnd());
-        if (keepDelimiters && m.capturedLength()) res+=m.captured().mid(start).trimmed();
+        if (keepDelimiters && !m.captured(3).isEmpty()) res+=m.captured(3).trimmed();
+        if (++found==max) return res += value;
       }
       return res;
     }
@@ -2609,12 +2614,12 @@ class Check: public Command {
       std::shared_ptr<Check> cmd(new Check());
       cmd->_next = 0;
       QString comp("[=!.^~<>]");
-      QStringList allargs = quotedStrings(args, comp, true);
+      QStringList allargs = quotedStrings(args, comp, true, 1);
       if (allargs.size()<2 || allargs[1].size()!=1 ||
           !QRegularExpression("^"+comp+"$").match(allargs[1]).hasMatch())
-        throw BadArgument(tag()+" needs a comparision, not: "+args);
+        throw BadArgument(tag()+" needs a comparision, not: "+args, allargs);
       if (allargs.size()>3)
-        throw BadArgument(tag()+" has at most three arguments");
+        throw BadArgument(tag()+" has at most three arguments", allargs);
       cmd->_value1 = allargs[0];
       cmd->_cmp = allargs[1][0].toLatin1();
       if (allargs.size()==3) {
@@ -2623,7 +2628,7 @@ class Check: public Command {
         if (in.size() && in.first().contains(QRegularExpression("^ "))) {
           cmd->_next = script->parseLine(in, file, line+1, indent+1);
           cmd->_next->log(false); // suppress logging of subcommand
-        } else throw BadArgument(tag()+" needs a third argument or a following command");
+        } else throw BadArgument(tag()+" needs a third argument or a following command", allargs);
       }
       return cmd;
     }
diff --git a/src/exceptions.hxx b/src/exceptions.hxx
index 9885d82..80295de 100644
--- a/src/exceptions.hxx
+++ b/src/exceptions.hxx
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ class UnknownCommand: public ParseError {
 class BadArgument: public ParseError {
   public:
     BadArgument(QString arg): ParseError("bad argument:"+p(arg)) {}
+    BadArgument(QString arg, QStringList args):
+        ParseError("bad argument:"+p(arg)+p("→ arguments:"+pq(args))) {
+    }
 };
 
 class MissingArguments: public ParseError {