[antlr-interest] Understanding the Java Grammar, or Kelcy Grammer

[sporty]

I read the Java grammar included w/ antlr, after trying to deal with mathematical equations.  I successfully got a parser in the form, similar to the java one, to work:

eplus  		  : NUMBER ((PLUS^|MINUS^) NUMBER)* ;
etimes        : eplus  ((TIMES^|DIV^) eplus)* ;
ecomp		  : etimes ((LT^|GT^|LTE^|GTE^) etimes)* };
eequal		  : ecomp  ((sequal|nsequal|NEQUAL|NNEQUAL) ecomp)* };
eor			  : eequal (OR^ eequal)* ;
eand		  : eor    (AND^ eor)* };

I can wholeheartedly accept that it works, but I do not understand why as yet.  I would expect and equation of the form 1*2+3*4+5 not to parse.  After it parses 1*2+3, I would expect it not to get to 4, since the token after 3 to be a *, and eplus specifies +'s and -'s to follow.

But it does, and it doesn't make sense.  Hepl?

Thanks,
-s