diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/chunk/ChunkedToken.scala b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/chunk/ChunkedToken.scala
index 8f409d3..7caa868 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/chunk/ChunkedToken.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/chunk/ChunkedToken.scala
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package tool.chunk
 
 import edu.knowitall.common.HashCodeHelper
 import edu.knowitall.tool.postag.PostaggedToken
+import edu.knowitall.tool.Format
 
 /** A representation of a chunked token.  A chunked token has all the
   * aspects of a postagged token along with a chunk tag.
@@ -38,4 +39,24 @@ object ChunkedToken {
     new ChunkedToken(Symbol(chunk), token.postagSymbol, token.string, token.offset)
 
   def unapply(token: ChunkedToken): Option[(String, String, String, Int)] = Some((token.chunk, token.postag, token.string, token.offset))
+  
+  object stringFormat extends Format[ChunkedToken, String] {
+    def write(chunkedToken: ChunkedToken): String = {
+      Iterator(PostaggedToken.stringFormat.write(chunkedToken),chunkedToken.chunk).mkString(" ").replaceAll("\\s+", " ")
+    }
+    def read(str: String): ChunkedToken = {
+      try{
+        val postaggedToken = PostaggedToken.stringFormat.read(str)
+        val info = str.split(" ")
+        val chunkName = info(2)
+        ChunkedToken(chunkName,postaggedToken.postag,postaggedToken.string,postaggedToken.offset)
+      }
+      catch{
+        case e: Exception => {
+          throw new MatchError("Error parsing ChunkedToken format token@offset postag chunkName for " +
+	        "the serialized string " + str)
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/chunk/Chunker.scala b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/chunk/Chunker.scala
index 40a410f..792e9dd 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/chunk/Chunker.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/chunk/Chunker.scala
@@ -87,6 +87,18 @@ object Chunker {
     val postaggedTokens = Postagger.tokensFrom(postags, tokens)
     (chunks zip postaggedTokens).map { case (chunk, postaggedToken) => ChunkedToken(postaggedToken, chunk) }
   }
+  
+  object stringFormat extends Format[Seq[ChunkedToken], String]{
+    def write(chunkedTokens: Seq[ChunkedToken]): String = {
+      val serializedChunkedTokens = for(chunkedTok <- chunkedTokens) yield {
+        ChunkedToken.stringFormat.write(chunkedTok)
+      }
+      serializedChunkedTokens.mkString("\t")
+    }
+    def read(str: String): Seq[ChunkedToken] = {
+      for (s <- str.split("\t")) yield ChunkedToken.stringFormat.read(s)
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 abstract class ChunkerMain
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/postag/PostaggedToken.scala b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/postag/PostaggedToken.scala
index 617ff39..6b1d89e 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/postag/PostaggedToken.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/postag/PostaggedToken.scala
@@ -95,4 +95,24 @@ object PostaggedToken {
       }
     }
   }
+  
+  object stringFormat extends Format[PostaggedToken, String] {
+    def write(postaggedToken: PostaggedToken): String = {
+      Iterator(Token.stringFormat.write(postaggedToken),postaggedToken.postag).mkString(" ").replaceAll("\\s+", " ")
+    }
+    def read(str: String): PostaggedToken = {
+      try{
+        val token = Token.stringFormat.read(str)
+        val info = str.split(" ")
+        val posTag = info(1)
+        PostaggedToken(posTag,token.string,token.offset)
+      }
+      catch{
+        case e: Exception => {
+          throw new MatchError("Error parsing PostaggedToken format token@offset postag for " +
+	        "the serialized string " + str)
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/postag/Postagger.scala b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/postag/Postagger.scala
index 833d781..0814105 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/postag/Postagger.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/postag/Postagger.scala
@@ -64,6 +64,20 @@ object Postagger {
   def tokensFrom(postags: Seq[String], tokens: Seq[Token]): Seq[PostaggedToken] = {
     (postags zip tokens).map { case (postag, token) => PostaggedToken(token, postag) }
   }
+  
+  object stringFormat extends Format[Seq[PostaggedToken],String]{
+   
+    def write(tokens: Seq[PostaggedToken]): String = {
+      val serializedTokens = for(tok <- tokens) yield {
+        PostaggedToken.stringFormat.write(tok)
+      }
+      serializedTokens.mkString("\t")
+    }
+    
+    def read(string: String): Seq[PostaggedToken] ={
+      for (str <- string.split("\t")) yield PostaggedToken.stringFormat.read(str)
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 abstract class PostaggerMain extends LineProcessor("postagger") {
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/Token.scala b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/Token.scala
index ddf79ab..a7c0085 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/Token.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/Token.scala
@@ -38,4 +38,18 @@ object Token {
     val splitIndex = string.lastIndexOf('@')
     Token(string.take(splitIndex), 0)
   }
+  
+  object stringFormat extends Format[Token, String]{
+    def write(token: Token): String = token.string+"@"+token.offset
+    def read(str: String): Token = {
+	  val info = str.split(" ")
+	  val tokenRegex = "(.+)@(\\d+)".r
+      val(tokenString, tokenOffset) = info(0) match{
+	    case tokenRegex(string,offset) => (string, offset)
+	    case _ => throw new MatchError("Error parsing token format token@offset for token " + info(0) +
+	        " in this serialized string " + str)
+	  }
+      Token(tokenString,tokenOffset.toInt)
+    }
+  }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/Tokenizer.scala b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/Tokenizer.scala
index 3ec4fc1..54668e5 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/Tokenizer.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/Tokenizer.scala
@@ -69,6 +69,16 @@ object Tokenizer {
       case s => throw new MatchError("Could not deserialize: " + s)
     }(scala.collection.breakOut)
   }
+  
+  object stringFormat extends Format[Seq[Token],String]{
+    def write(tokens: Seq[Token]): String = {
+      val serializedTokens = for(tok <- tokens) yield Token.stringFormat.write(tok)
+      serializedTokens.mkString("\t")
+    }
+    def read(str: String): Seq[Token] = {
+      for (s <- str.split("\t")) yield Token.stringFormat.read(s)
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 abstract class TokenizerMain extends LineProcessor("tokenizer") {
diff --git a/core/src/test/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/TokenSpec.scala b/core/src/test/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/TokenSpec.scala
index 6b9a5ae..2791f99 100644
--- a/core/src/test/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/TokenSpec.scala
+++ b/core/src/test/scala/edu/knowitall/tool/tokenize/TokenSpec.scala
@@ -5,14 +5,77 @@ package tokenize
 import org.junit._
 import org.junit.Assert._
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith
-
 import org.specs2.mutable.Specification
 import org.specs2.runner.JUnitRunner
+import edu.knowitall.tool.postag.PostaggedToken
+import edu.knowitall.tool.postag.Postagger
+import edu.knowitall.tool.chunk.ChunkedToken
+import edu.knowitall.tool.chunk.Chunker
 
 @RunWith(classOf[JUnitRunner])
 object TokenSpecTest extends Specification {
   "tokens serialize and deserialize correctly" in {
     val token = Token("asdf", 0)
-    Token.deserialize(token.serialize) == token
+    Token.deserialize(token.serialize) === token
+    
+    val t = Token("asdf",0)
+    val tSerialized = Token.stringFormat.write(t)
+    val tDeserialized = Token.stringFormat.read(tSerialized)
+    tDeserialized === t
+    
+    val pt = PostaggedToken("DT","in",3)
+    PostaggedToken.stringFormat.read(PostaggedToken.stringFormat.write(pt)) == pt
+  }
+  
+  "tokenizer serialization and deserialization work correctly" in {
+    
+    val token1 = Token("The",0)
+    val token2 = Token("big",4)
+    val tokens = Seq(token1,token2)
+    val tokensSerialization = Tokenizer.stringFormat.write(tokens)
+    Tokenizer.stringFormat.read(tokensSerialization) === tokens
+
+  }
+  
+  "posTagger serialization and deserialization work correctly" in {
+    val posToken1 = PostaggedToken("DT","The",0)
+    val posToken2 = PostaggedToken("JJ","big",4)
+    val posTokens = Seq(posToken1,posToken2)
+    val posTokensSerialization = Postagger.stringFormat.write(posTokens)
+    Postagger.stringFormat.read(posTokensSerialization) === posTokens
+  }
+  
+  "deserializing Tokens from posTagger serialization works" in {
+    val posToken1 = PostaggedToken("DT","The",0)
+    val token1 = Token("The",0)
+    val posToken2 = PostaggedToken("JJ","big",4)
+    val token2 = Token("big",4)
+    val posTokens = Seq(posToken1,posToken2)
+    val tokens = Seq(token1,token2)
+    val posTokensSerialization = Postagger.stringFormat.write(posTokens)
+    Tokenizer.stringFormat.read(posTokensSerialization) === tokens
+  }
+  
+  "chunker/chunkedToken serialization and deserialization work correctly" in {
+    val chunkedToken1 = ChunkedToken("NP-DT","DT","The",0)
+    val chunkedToken2 = ChunkedToken("NP-JJ","JJ","big",4)
+    val chunkedTokens = Seq(chunkedToken1,chunkedToken2)
+    val serializedChunkedTokens = Chunker.stringFormat.write(chunkedTokens)
+    Chunker.stringFormat.read(serializedChunkedTokens) === chunkedTokens 
+  }
+  
+  "MatchError should be thrown when String has a non-integer offset" in {
+    val tokenSerializationString = "The@nonInteger"
+    try{
+      val token = Token.stringFormat.read(tokenSerializationString)
+    }
+    catch{
+      case e: MatchError => { }
+    }
+  }
+  
+  "Token should be able to contain @" in {
+   val t = Token("@",0)
+   Token.stringFormat.read(Token.stringFormat.write(t)) == t
   }
 }