diff --git a/src/regex_selector.cc b/src/regex_selector.cc
index 07dae533..a8e68bf2 100644
--- a/src/regex_selector.cc
+++ b/src/regex_selector.cc
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ Selection RegexSelector::operator()(const BufferIterator& cursor) const
         boost::match_results<BufferIterator> matches;
 
         if (boost::regex_search(cursor, cursor.buffer().end(), matches, m_regex, boost::match_nosubs))
-            return Selection(matches.begin()->first, matches.begin()->second);
+            return Selection(matches.begin()->first, matches.begin()->second-1);
         else if (boost::regex_search(cursor.buffer().begin(), cursor, matches, m_regex, boost::match_nosubs))
-            return Selection(matches.begin()->first, matches.begin()->second);
+            return Selection(matches.begin()->first, matches.begin()->second-1);
     }
     catch (boost::regex_error& err)
     {
diff --git a/src/selectors.cc b/src/selectors.cc
index c8377079..2b73d370 100644
--- a/src/selectors.cc
+++ b/src/selectors.cc
@@ -33,6 +33,22 @@ static bool is_punctuation(char c)
     return not (is_word(c) or is_blank(c));
 }
 
+enum class CharCategories
+{
+    Blank,
+    Word,
+    Punctuation,
+};
+
+static CharCategories categorize(char c)
+{
+    if (is_word(c))
+        return CharCategories::Word;
+    if (is_blank(c))
+        return CharCategories::Blank;
+    return CharCategories::Punctuation;
+}
+
 template<typename T>
 void skip_while(BufferIterator& it, T condition)
 {
@@ -50,55 +66,72 @@ void skip_while_reverse(BufferIterator& it, T condition)
 
 Selection select_to_next_word(const BufferIterator& cursor)
 {
-    BufferIterator end = cursor;
+    BufferIterator begin = cursor;
+    BufferIterator end = cursor+1;
 
-    if (is_word(*end))
-        skip_while(end, is_word);
-    else if (is_punctuation(*end))
+    if (categorize(*begin) != categorize(*end))
+    {
+        ++begin;
+        ++end;
+    }
+
+    if (is_punctuation(*begin))
         skip_while(end, is_punctuation);
 
+    if (is_word(*begin))
+        skip_while(end, is_word);
+
     skip_while(end, is_blank);
 
-    return Selection(cursor, end);
+    return Selection(begin, end-1);
 }
 
 Selection select_to_next_word_end(const BufferIterator& cursor)
 {
-    BufferIterator end = cursor;
+    BufferIterator begin = cursor;
+    BufferIterator end = cursor+1;
+
+    if (categorize(*begin) != categorize(*end))
+        ++begin;
 
     skip_while(end, is_blank);
 
-    if (is_word(*end))
-        skip_while(end, is_word);
-    else if (is_punctuation(*end))
+    if (is_punctuation(*end))
         skip_while(end, is_punctuation);
+    else if (is_word(*end))
+        skip_while(end, is_word);
 
-    return Selection(cursor, end);
+    return Selection(begin, end-1);
 }
 
 Selection select_to_previous_word(const BufferIterator& cursor)
 {
-    BufferIterator end = cursor;
+    BufferIterator begin = cursor;
+    BufferIterator end = cursor-1;
+
+    if (categorize(*begin) != categorize(*end))
+        --begin;
 
     skip_while_reverse(end, is_blank);
-    if (is_word(*end))
-        skip_while_reverse(end, is_word);
-    else if (is_punctuation(*end))
-        skip_while_reverse(end, is_punctuation);
 
-    return Selection(cursor, end);
+    if (is_punctuation(*end))
+        skip_while_reverse(end, is_punctuation);
+    else if (is_word(*end))
+        skip_while_reverse(end, is_word);
+
+    return Selection(begin, end+1);
 }
 
 Selection select_line(const BufferIterator& cursor)
 {
-    BufferIterator begin = cursor;
-    while (not begin.is_begin() and *(begin -1) != '\n')
-        --begin;
+    BufferIterator first = cursor;
+    while (not first.is_begin() and *(first - 1) != '\n')
+        --first;
 
-    BufferIterator end = cursor;
-    while (not end.is_end() and *end != '\n')
-        ++end;
-    return Selection(begin, end + 1);
+    BufferIterator last = cursor;
+    while (not (last + 1).is_end() and *last != '\n')
+        ++last;
+    return Selection(first, last);
 }
 
 Selection move_select(Window& window, const BufferIterator& cursor, const WindowCoord& offset)
@@ -136,7 +169,7 @@ Selection select_matching(const BufferIterator& cursor)
             if (*it == opening)
                 ++level;
             else if (*it == closing and --level == 0)
-                return Selection(begin, it+1);
+                return Selection(begin, it);
 
             ++it;
         }
@@ -151,7 +184,7 @@ Selection select_matching(const BufferIterator& cursor)
             if (*it == closing)
                 ++level;
             else if (*it == opening and --level == 0)
-                return Selection(begin, it-1);
+                return Selection(begin, it);
             --it;
         }
     }
@@ -163,7 +196,7 @@ Selection select_to(const BufferIterator& cursor, char c)
     BufferIterator end = cursor + 1;
     skip_while(end, [c](char cur) { return not is_eol(cur) and cur != c; });
     if (not is_eol(*end))
-        return Selection(cursor, end);
+        return Selection(cursor, end-1);
     return Selection(cursor, cursor);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/window.cc b/src/window.cc
index 1448dc68..4c3b87d9 100644
--- a/src/window.cc
+++ b/src/window.cc
@@ -7,6 +7,22 @@
 namespace Kakoune
 {
 
+BufferIterator Selection::begin() const
+{
+    return std::min(m_first, m_last);
+}
+
+BufferIterator Selection::end() const
+{
+    return std::max(m_first, m_last) + 1;
+}
+
+void Selection::offset(int offset)
+{
+    m_first += offset;
+    m_last += offset;
+}
+
 Window::Window(Buffer& buffer)
     : m_buffer(buffer),
       m_position(0, 0),
@@ -27,12 +43,11 @@ void Window::erase()
 
     for (auto& sel : m_selections)
     {
-        sel.canonicalize();
         m_buffer.erase(sel.begin(), sel.end());
         sel = Selection(sel.begin(), sel.begin());
     }
     if (not m_selections.empty())
-        m_cursor = line_and_column_at(m_selections.back().end());
+        m_cursor = line_and_column_at(m_selections.back().last());
     m_buffer.end_undo_group();
 }
 
@@ -133,10 +148,10 @@ void Window::select(bool append, const Selector& selector)
     {
         for (auto& sel : m_selections)
         {
-            sel = Selection(sel.begin(), selector(sel.end()).end());
+            sel = Selection(sel.first(), selector(sel.last()).last());
         }
     }
-    m_cursor = line_and_column_at(m_selections.back().end());
+    m_cursor = line_and_column_at(m_selections.back().last());
     scroll_to_keep_cursor_visible_ifn();
 }
 
@@ -160,9 +175,6 @@ void Window::update_display_buffer()
 
     SelectionList sorted_selections = m_selections;
 
-    for (auto& sel : sorted_selections)
-        sel.canonicalize();
-
     std::sort(sorted_selections.begin(), sorted_selections.end(),
               [](const Selection& lhs, const Selection& rhs) { return lhs.begin() < rhs.begin(); });
 
diff --git a/src/window.hh b/src/window.hh
index 2506025b..9dafed25 100644
--- a/src/window.hh
+++ b/src/window.hh
@@ -19,27 +19,20 @@ struct WindowCoord : LineAndColumn<WindowCoord>
 
 struct Selection
 {
-    Selection(const BufferIterator& begin, const BufferIterator& end)
-        : m_begin(begin), m_end(end) {}
+    Selection(const BufferIterator& first, const BufferIterator& last)
+        : m_first(first), m_last(last) {}
 
-    const BufferIterator& begin() const { return m_begin; }
-    const BufferIterator& end() const   { return m_end; }
+    BufferIterator begin() const;
+    BufferIterator end() const;
 
-    void canonicalize()
-    {
-        if (m_end < m_begin)
-            std::swap(++m_begin, ++m_end);
-    }
+    const BufferIterator& first() const { return m_first; }
+    const BufferIterator& last()  const { return m_last; }
 
-    void offset(int offset)
-    {
-        m_begin += offset;
-        m_end += offset;
-    }
+    void offset(int offset);
 
 private:
-    BufferIterator m_begin;
-    BufferIterator m_end;
+    BufferIterator m_first;
+    BufferIterator m_last;
 };
 
 typedef std::vector<Selection> SelectionList;