diff --git a/specifications/grammar-40/xpath-grammar.xml b/specifications/grammar-40/xpath-grammar.xml
index 66dc4ca4b..f2efe9a74 100644
--- a/specifications/grammar-40/xpath-grammar.xml
+++ b/specifications/grammar-40/xpath-grammar.xml
@@ -1333,7 +1333,7 @@ VersionDecl ::= "xquery" (("encoding" StringLiteral) | ("version" StringLiteral
     <g:string>)</g:string>
     <g:choice>
       <g:ref name="UnbracedActions"/>
-      <g:ref name="BracedActions"/>
+      <g:ref name="BracedAction"/>
     </g:choice>
   </g:production>
   
@@ -1344,21 +1344,21 @@ VersionDecl ::= "xquery" (("encoding" StringLiteral) | ("version" StringLiteral
     <g:ref name="ExprSingle"/>
   </g:production>
   
-  <g:production name="BracedActions">
-    <g:ref name="ThenAction"/>
-    <g:zeroOrMore>
+  <g:production name="BracedAction">
+    <g:ref name="EnclosedExpr"/>
+    <!--<g:zeroOrMore>
       <g:ref name="ElseIfAction"/>
     </g:zeroOrMore>
     <g:optional>
       <g:ref name="ElseAction"/>
-    </g:optional>
+    </g:optional>-->
   </g:production>
   
   <g:production name="ThenAction">
     <g:ref name="EnclosedExpr"/>
   </g:production>
   
-  <g:production name="ElseIfAction">
+  <!--<g:production name="ElseIfAction">
     <g:string>else</g:string>
     <g:string>if</g:string>
     <g:string>(</g:string>
@@ -1370,7 +1370,7 @@ VersionDecl ::= "xquery" (("encoding" StringLiteral) | ("version" StringLiteral
   <g:production name="ElseAction">
     <g:string>else</g:string>
     <g:ref name="EnclosedExpr"/>
-  </g:production>
+  </g:production>-->
 
   <!-- [ start TryCatchExpr -->
 
diff --git a/specifications/xquery-40/src/expressions.xml b/specifications/xquery-40/src/expressions.xml
index 2451a8fe1..f08e7c1ac 100644
--- a/specifications/xquery-40/src/expressions.xml
+++ b/specifications/xquery-40/src/expressions.xml
@@ -20686,70 +20686,40 @@ return $map?[?key ge 2]</eg>
             <head/>
             <prodrecap id="IfExpr" ref="IfExpr"/>
             <prodrecap id="UnbracedActions" ref="UnbracedActions"/>
-            <prodrecap id="BracedActions" ref="BracedActions"/>
-            <prodrecap id="ThenAction" ref="ThenAction"/>
+            <prodrecap id="BracedAction" ref="BracedAction"/>
+            <!--<prodrecap id="ThenAction" ref="ThenAction"/>
             <prodrecap id="ElseIfAction" ref="ElseIfAction"/>
-            <prodrecap id="ElseAction" ref="ElseAction"/>
+            <prodrecap id="ElseAction" ref="ElseAction"/>-->
             <prodrecap ref="EnclosedExpr"/>
          </scrap>
          
-         <p diff="chg" at="2023-01-17">There are two formats with essentially the same semantics.</p>
-         <ulist diff="chg" at="2023-01-10">
-            <item><p>The unbraced expression <code>if (C) then T else E</code> is equivalent to
-            the braced expression <code>if (C) { T } else { E }</code>.</p></item>
-            <item diff="del" at="2023-01-17"><p>The ternary expression <code>C ?? T !! E</code> is equivalent to the
-               braced expression <code>if (C) { T } else { E }</code>.</p>
-               <note><p>The ternary operator syntax is borrowed from Perl6.</p></note>
-            </item>
-            <item><p>The value <var>V</var> of a conditional expression using the
-               braced format is obtained by applying the following rules in order, finishing
-               as soon as <var>V</var> has a value:</p>
+         <p>The braced expression <code>if (<var>C</var>) then {<var>T</var>}</code> is equivalent to the
+         unbraced expression <code>if (<var>C</var>) then <var>T</var> else ()</code>.</p>
+         
+         <p>The value <var>V</var> of a conditional expression in the form <code>if (<var>C</var>) then <var>T</var>
+         else <var>E</var></code> is obtained as follows:</p>
+         
+
               <olist>
-                 <item><p>Let <var>C</var> be the <termref
-                       def="dt-ebv"
-                       >effective boolean value</termref> of the test expression, as defined in <specref
+                 <item><p>Let <var>B</var> be the <termref
+                       def="dt-ebv">effective boolean value</termref> of the test expression
+                       <var>C</var>, as defined in <specref
                           ref="id-ebv"/>.</p>
                  </item>
-                    <item><p>If <var>C</var> is true, <var>V</var> is the
-                       value of the <nt def="EnclosedExpr">EnclosedExpr</nt> in the <nt def="ThenAction">ThenAction</nt>.</p>
-                    </item>
-                 <item><p>The <nt def="ElseIfAction">ElseIfActions</nt> (if any) are processed in order as follows:</p>
-                    <olist>
-                       <item><p>Let <var>C'</var> be the <termref
-                          def="dt-ebv"
-                          >effective boolean value</termref> of the test expression, as defined in <specref
-                             ref="id-ebv"/>.</p></item>
-                       <item><p>If <var>C'</var> is true, <var>V</var> is the
-                          value of the <nt def="EnclosedExpr">EnclosedExpr</nt> in the <nt def="ElseIfAction">ElseIfAction</nt>
-                           
-                       </p>
-                       </item>
-                    </olist>
-                 </item>
-                 <item>
-                    <p>If there is an <nt def="ElseAction">ElseAction</nt>, then <var>V</var>
-                       is the value of its <nt def="EnclosedExpr">EnclosedExpr</nt>.</p>
+                 <item><p>If <var>B</var> is true, <var>V</var> is the
+                    result of evaluating <var>T</var>.</p>
                  </item>
-                 <item>
-                    <p><var>V</var> is the empty sequence.</p>
+                 <item><p>Otherwise, <var>V</var> is the
+                    result of evaluating <var>E</var>.</p>
                  </item>
-              </olist>
-            
-            </item>
+                 
+             </olist>
+                 
   
      
-         </ulist>
+    
+         
          
-         <p diff="del" at="2023-01-10">Whichever format is used, the first step in processing a conditional expression is to find
-the <termref
-               def="dt-ebv"
-               >effective boolean value</termref> of the test expression, as defined in <specref
-               ref="id-ebv"/>.</p>
-
-         <p diff="del" at="2023-01-10">The value of a conditional expression is defined as follows: If the
-effective boolean value of the test expression is <code>true</code>, the value of the then-expression is returned. If the
-effective boolean value of the test expression is <code>false</code>,
-the value of the else-expression is returned.</p>
          <p>Conditional expressions have a special rule for propagating <termref
                def="dt-dynamic-error"
                >dynamic errors</termref>: <phrase diff="chg" at="2023-01-10">expressions whose value is not needed for
@@ -20781,14 +20751,7 @@ then $part/wholesale
 else $part/retail]]></eg>
             </item>
             
-            <item diff="add" at="2023-01-10">
-               <p>The above expression can equivalently be written:</p>
-               <eg role="parse-test"><![CDATA[if ($part/@discounted) {
-  $part/wholesale
-} else {
-  $part/retail
-}]]></eg>
-            </item>
+
             
             <item diff="add" at="2022-12-07">
                <p>The following example returns the attribute node <code>@discount</code> provided the value of <code>@price</code>
@@ -20798,15 +20761,15 @@ else $part/retail]]></eg>
             </item>
             <item diff="add" at="2023-01-10">
                <p>The following example tests a number of conditions:</p>
-               <eg role="parse-test"><![CDATA[if (@code = 1) {
+               <eg role="parse-test"><![CDATA[if (@code = 1) then
   "food"
-} else if (@code = 2) {
+else if (@code = 2) then
   "fashion"
-} else if (@code = 3) {
+else if (@code = 3) then
   "household"
-} else {
+else 
   "general"
-}]]></eg>
+]]></eg>
             </item>
          </ulist>
          <note diff="add" at="2023-01-10">
@@ -20814,8 +20777,8 @@ else $part/retail]]></eg>
             <ulist>
                <item><p>In the unbraced format, both the <code>then</code> and <code>else</code> clauses
                   are mandatory.</p></item>
-               <item><p>In the braced format, an <code>else</code> clause is always unambiguously
-               associated with the immediately containing <nt def="IfExpr">IfExpr</nt>.</p></item>
+               <item><p>In the braced format, the expression terminates unambiguously with the closing
+                  brace.</p></item>
             </ulist>
          </note>
       </div2>