$_ = "Hello there, people!";
@output = ();
while (length) {
  (push @output, "word: $1"), next if s/^(\w+)//;
  (push @output, "spaces"), next if s/^\s+//;
  (push @output, "punc: $1"), next if s/^(.)//;
  die "how did I get here?";
}
print map "$_\n", @output;