diff --git a/.hound.yml b/.hound.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d0ff60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.hound.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+ruby:
+  config_file: .rubocop.yml
diff --git a/.rubocop.yml b/.rubocop.yml
index 7efe0b1..76563b3 100644
--- a/.rubocop.yml
+++ b/.rubocop.yml
@@ -5,3 +5,9 @@ Style/Documentation:
 Lint/HandleExceptions:
   Exclude:
     - Rakefile
+
+# For Ruby 1.8 compatibility
+Style/DotPosition:
+  EnforcedStyle: trailing
+Style/HashSyntax:
+  EnforcedStyle: hash_rockets
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 9952f75..9a75a41 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 language: ruby
 rvm:
+  - 1.8.7
   - 1.9.2
   - 1.9.3
   - 2.0
   - 2.1
   - 2.2
   - jruby-1.7
-  - rbx-2.2
-  - rbx-2.4
+  - rbx-2
diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 79b7d6e..b76de99 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -4,5 +4,5 @@ gemspec
 
 group :test do
   gem 'rake', '~> 10.4'
-  gem 'rubocop', '~> 0.30', platforms: [:ruby_20, :ruby_21]
+  gem 'rubocop', '~> 0.30', :platforms => [:ruby_20, :ruby_21]
 end
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dd9223d..8df520d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# AhoCorasickMatcher [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/altmetric/aho_corasick_matcher.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/altmetric/aho_corasick_matcher)
+# Aho-Corasick Matcher [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/altmetric/aho_corasick_matcher.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/altmetric/aho_corasick_matcher)
 
 A Ruby gem for finding strings in text using the [Aho-Corasick string matching search](http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.96.4671&rep=rep1&type=pdf).
 
@@ -22,14 +22,14 @@ matcher = AhoCorasickMatcher.new(['a', 'b', 'ab'])
 matcher.match('aba')
 #=> ['a', 'ab', 'b', 'a']
 
-matcher = AhoCorasickMatcher.new(["thistle", "sift", "thistles"])
-matcher.match("Theophilus thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.")
+matcher = AhoCorasickMatcher.new(['thistle', 'sift', 'thistles'])
+matcher.match('Theophilus thistle, the successful thistle sifter, in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb.')
 #=> ["thistle", "thistle", "sift", "sift", "sift", "thistle", "thistles", "thistle", "thistles"]
 ```
 
 ## Thanks
 
-Loosely based on Tim Cowlishaw's implementation of the same algorithm https://github.com/timcowlishaw/aho_corasick
+Loosely based on [Tim Cowlishaw's implementation of the same algorithm](https://github.com/timcowlishaw/aho_corasick).
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index 5a194db..3ebaaa7 100644
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 require 'rspec/core/rake_task'
 RSpec::Core::RakeTask.new(:spec)
-task default: :spec
+task :default => :spec
 
 begin
   require 'rubocop/rake_task'
diff --git a/aho_corasick_matcher.gemspec b/aho_corasick_matcher.gemspec
index ad00112..3cf8de8 100644
--- a/aho_corasick_matcher.gemspec
+++ b/aho_corasick_matcher.gemspec
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |s|
   s.homepage = 'https://github.com/altmetric/aho_corasick_matcher'
   s.files = %w(README.md LICENSE lib/aho_corasick_matcher.rb)
   s.test_files = Dir['spec/**/*.rb']
-  s.require_paths = ['lib']
 
   s.add_development_dependency('rspec', '~> 3.2')
 end
diff --git a/lib/aho_corasick_matcher.rb b/lib/aho_corasick_matcher.rb
index 5bad711..33548c0 100644
--- a/lib/aho_corasick_matcher.rb
+++ b/lib/aho_corasick_matcher.rb
@@ -12,13 +12,16 @@ def initialize(dictionary)
   end
 
   def match(string)
-    [].tap do |matches|
-      string.each_char.reduce(root) do |node, char|
-        (node || root).search(char.intern).tap do |child|
-          matches.push(*child.matches) if child
-        end
-      end
+    matches = []
+    string.each_char.reduce(root) do |node, char|
+      child = (node || root).search(char.intern)
+      next unless child
+
+      matches.push(*child.matches)
+      child
     end
+
+    matches
   end
 
   private
@@ -47,8 +50,8 @@ def build_suffix_map
   end
 
   class Node
-    attr_reader :matches, :child_map, :suffix, :parent
-    attr_writer :suffix
+    attr_reader :matches, :child_map, :parent
+    attr_accessor :suffix
 
     def initialize(parent = nil)
       @matches = []
@@ -57,19 +60,19 @@ def initialize(parent = nil)
     end
 
     def search(char)
-      @child_map[char] || suffix && suffix.search(char)
+      child_map[char] || (suffix && suffix.search(char))
     end
 
     def child_or_create(char)
-      @child_map[char] ||= self.class.new(self)
+      child_map[char] ||= self.class.new(self)
     end
 
     def children
-      @child_map.values
+      child_map.values
     end
 
     def root?
-      parent.nil?
+      !parent
     end
 
     def build_child_suffixes
@@ -89,6 +92,7 @@ def build_child_suffixes
     def find_failure_node(char)
       failure = suffix
       failure = failure.suffix until failure.search(char) || failure.root?
+
       failure
     end
   end