diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 10361f106..a0a94d8b6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ In addition please do not hesitate to ask any questions on the forum, we are wor
 ## Contributions and Questions
 
 You can interact with the Mimi development team via issues and pull requests here on github, and in the [Mimi Framework forum](https://forum.mimiframework.org). Contributions to Mimi are also most welcome, and
-please get in touch with [David Anthoff](http://www.david-anthoff.com) if you are want to be involved in any way with this effort.
+please get in touch with [David Anthoff](http://www.david-anthoff.com) if you want to be involved in any way with this effort.
 
 ## Acknowledgements
 
diff --git a/src/core/build.jl b/src/core/build.jl
index 8bc9715fc..d7f3a0ded 100644
--- a/src/core/build.jl
+++ b/src/core/build.jl
@@ -135,13 +135,13 @@ function _get_leaf_level_ipcs(md::ModelDef, conn::InternalParameterConnection)
 
     top_dst_path = conn.dst_comp_path
     comp = find_comp(md, top_dst_path)
-    comp !== nothing || error("Can't find $(top_dst_path) from $(md.comp_id)")
+    comp !== nothing || error("Cannot find $(top_dst_path) from $(md.comp_id)")
     par_sub_paths, param_names = _find_paths_and_names(comp, conn.dst_par_name)
     param_paths = [ComponentPath(top_dst_path, sub_path) for sub_path in par_sub_paths]
 
     top_src_path = conn.src_comp_path
     comp = find_comp(md, top_src_path)
-    comp !== nothing || error("Can't find $(top_src_path) from $(md.comp_id)")
+    comp !== nothing || error("Cannot find $(top_src_path) from $(md.comp_id)")
     var_sub_path, var_name = _find_paths_and_names(comp, conn.src_var_name)
     var_path = ComponentPath(top_src_path, var_sub_path[1])
 
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ that need to be made under the hood as specified by `epc`.
 function _get_leaf_level_epcs(md::ModelDef, epc::ExternalParameterConnection)
 
     comp = find_comp(md, epc.comp_path)
-    comp !== nothing || error("Can't find $(epc.comp_path) from $(md.comp_id)")
+    comp !== nothing || error("Cannot find $(epc.comp_path) from $(md.comp_id)")
     par_sub_paths, param_names = _find_paths_and_names(comp, epc.param_name)
 
     leaf_epcs = ExternalParameterConnection[]
diff --git a/src/core/connections.jl b/src/core/connections.jl
index b19bda5b0..f668297d9 100644
--- a/src/core/connections.jl
+++ b/src/core/connections.jl
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ Split a string of the form "/path/to/component:datum_name" into the component pa
 """
 function split_datum_path(obj::AbstractCompositeComponentDef, s::AbstractString)
     elts = split(s, ":")
-    length(elts) != 2 && error("Can't split datum path '$s' into ComponentPath and datum name")
+    length(elts) != 2 && error("Cannot split datum path '$s' into ComponentPath and datum name")
     return (ComponentPath(obj, elts[1]), Symbol(elts[2]))
 end
 
diff --git a/src/core/defcomp.jl b/src/core/defcomp.jl
index 10f53dae9..b2bc27aa2 100644
--- a/src/core/defcomp.jl
+++ b/src/core/defcomp.jl
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ is_builtin(comp_name) = comp_name in built_in_comps
 
 function _generate_run_func(comp_name, module_name, args, body)
     if length(args) != 4
-        error("Can't generate run_timestep; requires 4 arguments but got $args")
+        error("Cannot generate run_timestep; requires 4 arguments but got $args")
     end
 
     (p, v, d, t) = args
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ end
 function _generate_init_func(comp_name, module_name, args, body)
 
     if length(args) != 3
-        error("Can't generate init function; requires 3 arguments but got $args")
+        error("Cannot generate init function; requires 3 arguments but got $args")
     end
 
     # add types to the parameters  
diff --git a/src/core/defcomposite.jl b/src/core/defcomposite.jl
index 2dfa31270..c071f6718 100644
--- a/src/core/defcomposite.jl
+++ b/src/core/defcomposite.jl
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ Import a variable from the given subcomponent
 function _import_var!(obj::AbstractCompositeComponentDef, localname::Symbol,
                       path::ComponentPath, vname::Symbol)
     if haskey(obj, localname)
-        error("Can't import variable; :$localname already exists in component $(obj.comp_id)")
+        error("Cannot import variable; :$localname already exists in component $(obj.comp_id)")
     end
 
     comp = @or(find_comp(obj, path), error("$path not found from component $(obj.comp_id)"))
diff --git a/src/core/defs.jl b/src/core/defs.jl
index bc7c9fa71..ae9bdd8b5 100644
--- a/src/core/defs.jl
+++ b/src/core/defs.jl
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ end
 
 function set_param!(md::ModelDef, comp_def::AbstractComponentDef, param_name::Symbol, ext_param_name::Symbol, value; dims=nothing)
     has_parameter(comp_def, param_name) ||
-        error("Can't find parameter :$param_name in component $(pathof(comp_def))")
+        error("Cannot find parameter :$param_name in component $(pathof(comp_def))")
 
     if has_parameter(md, ext_param_name)
         error("Cannot set parameter :$ext_param_name, the model already has an external parameter with this name.", 
@@ -531,7 +531,7 @@ function set_param!(md::ModelDef, param_name::Symbol, value; dims=nothing, ignor
     end
 
     if isempty(comps)
-        error("Can't set parameter :$param_name; not found in ModelDef or children")
+        error("Cannot set parameter :$param_name; not found in ModelDef or children")
     end
 
     # which fields to check for collisions in subcomponents
diff --git a/src/core/references.jl b/src/core/references.jl
index 328ebb2c3..d3b048b49 100644
--- a/src/core/references.jl
+++ b/src/core/references.jl
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ end
 Connect two components as `comp_ref[var_name] = var_ref`.
 """
 function Base.setindex!(comp_ref::ComponentReference, var_ref::VariableReference, vname::Symbol)
-    _same_composite(comp_ref, var_ref) || error("Can't connect variables defined in different composite trees")
+    _same_composite(comp_ref, var_ref) || error("Cannot connect variables defined in different composite trees")
 
     _connect_param!(parent(comp_ref), pathof(comp_ref), vname, pathof(var_ref), var_name(var_ref))
 end
diff --git a/src/utils/getdataframe.jl b/src/utils/getdataframe.jl
index ab399df3c..6d7d040d0 100644
--- a/src/utils/getdataframe.jl
+++ b/src/utils/getdataframe.jl
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ function getdataframe(m::AbstractModel, pairs::Pair{Symbol, Symbol}...)
     for (comp_name, item_name) in pairs[2:end]
         next_dims = dim_names(m, comp_name, item_name)
         if dims != next_dims
-            error("Can't create DataFrame from items with different dimensions ($comp_name1.$item_name1: $dims vs $comp_name.$item_name: $next_dims)")
+            error("Cannot create DataFrame from items with different dimensions ($comp_name1.$item_name1: $dims vs $comp_name.$item_name: $next_dims)")
         end
         result = getdataframe(m, comp_name, item_name)
         df = hcat(df, result[!, [item_name]])      # [[xx]] retrieves a 1 column DataFrame
diff --git a/test/runtests.jl b/test/runtests.jl
index ac2c4e1d4..2c6a316b5 100644
--- a/test/runtests.jl
+++ b/test/runtests.jl
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ Electron.prep_test_env()
     @info("test_timesteparrays.jl")
     @time include("test_timesteparrays.jl")
 
-    @info("test_dimensions")
+    @info("test_dimensions.jl")
     @time include("test_dimensions.jl")
 
     @info("test_datum_storage.jl")
diff --git a/test/test_components_ordering.jl b/test/test_components_ordering.jl
index 95e055f6a..72aeca352 100644
--- a/test/test_components_ordering.jl
+++ b/test/test_components_ordering.jl
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+module TestComponentsOrdering
+
 using Mimi
 using Test
 
@@ -43,3 +45,5 @@ addcomponent(my_model, testcomp1)
 @test_throws ErrorException addcomponent(my_model, testcomp2, before=:testcomp3)
 
 @test_throws ErrorException addcomponent(my_model, testcomp2, after=:testcomp3)
+
+end #module
diff --git a/test/test_composite_parameters.jl b/test/test_composite_parameters.jl
index 050b7cd49..8b0f40868 100644
--- a/test/test_composite_parameters.jl
+++ b/test/test_composite_parameters.jl
@@ -144,4 +144,11 @@ run(m3)
 @test length(keys(m3.md.external_params)) == 4      # The default value was not added to the original md's list
 @test length(keys(m3.mi.md.external_params)) == 5   # Only added to the model instance's definition
 
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test set_param! for parameter that exists in neither model definition nor any subcomponent
+
+m1 = get_model()
+err8 = try set_param!(m1, :pDNE, 42) catch err err end
+@test occursin("not found in ModelDef or children", sprint(showerror, err8))
+
+end #module
diff --git a/test/test_num_components.jl b/test/test_num_components.jl
index 5b211a924..a99fd1e39 100644
--- a/test/test_num_components.jl
+++ b/test/test_num_components.jl
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+module TestNumComponents
+
 using Test
 using Mimi
 
@@ -15,3 +17,5 @@ m = Model()
 # trying to run model with no components
 set_dimension!(m, :time, 1:10)
 @test_throws ErrorException run(m)
+
+end #module