diff --git a/src/stages/4-ast_typed/PP_generic.ml b/src/stages/4-ast_typed/PP_generic.ml
index fc9bbeb9d..d807689e0 100644
--- a/src/stages/4-ast_typed/PP_generic.ml
+++ b/src/stages/4-ast_typed/PP_generic.ml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ let needs_parens              = {
       | PolyInstance { poly =_; arguments=_; poly_continue } ->
          (poly_continue state)
     );
-    type_variable             = (fun _ _ _ -> false) ;
+    type_variable             = (fun _ _ _ -> true) ;
     bool                      = (fun _ _ _ -> false) ;
     z                         = (fun _ _ _ -> false) ;
     string                    = (fun _ _ _ -> false) ;
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ let op ppf = {
       | PolyInstance { poly=_; arguments=_; poly_continue } ->
          (poly_continue ())
     );
-    type_variable             = (fun _visitor () type_variable   -> fprintf ppf "%a" Var.pp type_variable) ;
+    type_variable             = (fun _visitor () type_variable   -> fprintf ppf "Var %a" Var.pp type_variable) ;
     bool                      = (fun _visitor () b               -> fprintf ppf "%s" (if b then "true" else "false")) ;
     z                         = (fun _visitor () i               -> fprintf ppf "%a" Z.pp_print i) ;
     string                    = (fun _visitor () str             -> fprintf ppf "\"%s\"" str) ;