diff --git a/src/builtins/conditionals.rs b/src/builtins/conditionals.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5e2aa64391be060adf73b46efcd3347b1991c6f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/builtins/conditionals.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+use shell::Shell;
+use shell::status::*;
+
+macro_rules! string_function {
+    ($method:tt) => (
+        pub fn $method(args: &[&str], _: &mut Shell) -> i32 {
+            match args.len() {
+                0...2 => {
+                    eprintln!("ion: $method: two arguments must be supplied");
+                    return BAD_ARG
+                }
+                3 => if args[1].$method(&args[2]) { SUCCESS } else { FAILURE }
+                _ => {
+                    for arg in args[2..].iter() {
+                        if args[1].$method(arg) { return SUCCESS }
+                    }
+                    FAILURE
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    )
+}
+
+string_function!(starts_with);
+string_function!(ends_with);
+string_function!(contains);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/builtins/mod.rs b/src/builtins/mod.rs
index ffc0d4faab134cc3b18e842318a7233aad13f246..28d66f0f1dc53e538ccfbadc027ecb69cd30f63d 100644
--- a/src/builtins/mod.rs
+++ b/src/builtins/mod.rs
@@ -3,12 +3,14 @@ pub mod variables;
 pub mod functions;
 pub mod calc;
 
+mod conditionals;
 mod job_control;
 mod test;
 mod time;
 mod echo;
 mod set;
 
+use self::conditionals::{starts_with, ends_with, contains};
 use self::variables::{alias, drop_alias, drop_variable, drop_array};
 use self::functions::fn_;
 use self::source::source;
@@ -172,6 +174,21 @@ impl Builtin {
             builtin_or,
             "Execute the command if the shell's previous status is failure"
         );
+        insert_builtin!(
+            "starts_with",
+            starts_with,
+            "Evaluates if the supplied argument starts with a given string"
+        );
+        insert_builtin!(
+            "ends_with",
+            ends_with,
+            "Evaluates if the supplied argument ends with a given string"
+        );
+        insert_builtin!(
+            "contains",
+            contains,
+            "Evaluates if the supplied argument contains a given string"
+        );
 
         commands
     }
diff --git a/src/shell/pipe_exec/job_control.rs b/src/shell/pipe_exec/job_control.rs
index c1b4ba3d069e135ccbe508d6ec71a43364858b16..e9b815ce0686f87e3cccb8c69e17bf2ce4286539 100644
--- a/src/shell/pipe_exec/job_control.rs
+++ b/src/shell/pipe_exec/job_control.rs
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ impl<'a> JobControl for Shell<'a> {
     /// Waits until all running background tasks have completed, and listens for signals in the
     /// event that a signal is sent to kill the running tasks.
     fn wait_for_background(&mut self) {
-        let mut sigcode = 0;
+        let sigcode;
         'event: loop {
             for process in self.background.lock().unwrap().iter() {
                 if let ProcessState::Running = process.state {