diff --git a/include/Excel/OLE.php b/include/Excel/OLE.php
index bda705b88..dfd2d5259 100644
--- a/include/Excel/OLE.php
+++ b/include/Excel/OLE.php
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ class OLE extends PEAR
     {
         $rawname = '';
         for ($i = 0; $i < strlen($ascii); $i++) {
-            $rawname .= $ascii{$i}."\x00";
+            $rawname .= $ascii[$i]."\x00";
         }
         return $rawname;
     }
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ class OLE extends PEAR
         $high_part = 0;
         for ($i=0; $i<4; $i++)
         {
-            $al = unpack('C', $string{(7 - $i)});
+            $al = unpack('C', $string[(7 - $i)]);
             $high_part += $al[''];
             if ($i < 3) {
                 $high_part *= 0x100;
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ class OLE extends PEAR
         $low_part = 0;
         for ($i=4; $i<8; $i++)
         {
-            $al = unpack('C', $string{(7 - $i)});
+            $al = unpack('C', $string[(7 - $i)]);
             $low_part += $al[''];
             if ($i < 7) {
                 $low_part *= 0x100;
diff --git a/include/Excel/Parser.php b/include/Excel/Parser.php
index 79a5eeb76..c1e9c2a42 100644
--- a/include/Excel/Parser.php
+++ b/include/Excel/Parser.php
@@ -1084,7 +1084,7 @@ class Spreadsheet_Excel_Writer_Parser extends PEAR
         $col    = 0;
         $col_ref_length = strlen($col_ref);
         for ($i = 0; $i < $col_ref_length; $i++) {
-            $col += (ord($col_ref{$i}) - ord('A') + 1) * pow(26, $expn);
+            $col += (ord($col_ref[$i]) - ord('A') + 1) * pow(26, $expn);
             $expn--;
         }
 
@@ -1106,20 +1106,20 @@ class Spreadsheet_Excel_Writer_Parser extends PEAR
         $formula_length = strlen($this->_formula);
         // eat up white spaces
         if ($i < $formula_length) {
-            while ($this->_formula{$i} == " ") {
+            while ($this->_formula[$i] == " ") {
                 $i++;
             }
 
             if ($i < ($formula_length - 1)) {
-                $this->_lookahead = $this->_formula{$i+1};
+                $this->_lookahead = $this->_formula[$i+1];
             }
             $token = '';
         }
 
         while ($i < $formula_length) {
-            $token .= $this->_formula{$i};
+            $token .= $this->_formula[$i];
             if ($i < ($formula_length - 1)) {
-                $this->_lookahead = $this->_formula{$i+1};
+                $this->_lookahead = $this->_formula[$i+1];
             } else {
                 $this->_lookahead = '';
             }
@@ -1134,7 +1134,7 @@ class Spreadsheet_Excel_Writer_Parser extends PEAR
             }
 
             if ($i < ($formula_length - 2)) {
-                $this->_lookahead = $this->_formula{$i+2};
+                $this->_lookahead = $this->_formula[$i+2];
             } else { // if we run out of characters _lookahead becomes empty
                 $this->_lookahead = '';
             }
@@ -1282,7 +1282,7 @@ class Spreadsheet_Excel_Writer_Parser extends PEAR
     {
         $this->_current_char = 0;
         $this->_formula      = $formula;
-        $this->_lookahead    = $formula{1};
+        $this->_lookahead    = $formula[1];
         $this->_advance();
         $this->_parse_tree   = $this->_condition();
         if (PEAR::isError($this->_parse_tree)) {