diff --git a/spacy/syntax/arc_eager.pyx b/spacy/syntax/arc_eager.pyx
index 30726974a..a7ed8874c 100644
--- a/spacy/syntax/arc_eager.pyx
+++ b/spacy/syntax/arc_eager.pyx
@@ -384,16 +384,16 @@ cdef class ArcEager(TransitionSystem):
         for i in range(st.length):
             # Always attach spaces to the previous word
             if Lexeme.c_check_flag(st._sent[i].lex, IS_SPACE):
-                if i >= 1:
-                    st.add_arc(i-1, i, st._sent[i].dep)
-                else:
-                    st.add_arc(i+1, i, st._sent[i].dep)
                 if st._sent[i].sent_start and st._sent[i].head == -1:
                     st._sent[i].sent_start = False
                     # If we had this space token as the start of a sentence,
                     # move that sentence start forward one
                     if (i + 1) < st.length and not st._sent[i+1].sent_start:
                         st._sent[i+1].sent_start = True
+                    if i >= 1:
+                        st.add_arc(i-1, i, st._sent[i].dep)
+                    else:
+                        st.add_arc(i+1, i, st._sent[i].dep)
             elif st._sent[i].head == 0 and st._sent[i].dep == 0:
                 st._sent[i].dep = self.root_label
             # If we're not using the Break transition, we segment via root-labelled
diff --git a/tests/test_basic_load.py b/tests/test_basic_load.py
index eb7adbe97..233ddd848 100644
--- a/tests/test_basic_load.py
+++ b/tests/test_basic_load.py
@@ -25,28 +25,34 @@ from thinc.learner import LinearModel
 
 class TestLoadVocab(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_load(self):
-        vocab = Vocab.from_dir(path.join(English.default_data_dir(), 'vocab'))
+        if path.exists(path.join(English.default_data_dir(), 'vocab')):
+            vocab = Vocab.from_dir(path.join(English.default_data_dir(), 'vocab'))
 
 
 class TestLoadTokenizer(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_load(self):
         data_dir = English.default_data_dir()
-        vocab = Vocab.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab'))
-        tokenizer = Tokenizer.from_dir(vocab, path.join(data_dir, 'tokenizer'))
+        if path.exists(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab')):
+            vocab = Vocab.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab'))
+            tokenizer = Tokenizer.from_dir(vocab, path.join(data_dir, 'tokenizer'))
 
 
 class TestLoadTagger(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_load(self):
         data_dir = English.default_data_dir()
-        vocab = Vocab.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab'))
-        tagger = Tagger.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'tagger'), vocab)
+
+        if path.exists(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab')):
+            vocab = Vocab.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab'))
+            tagger = Tagger.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'tagger'), vocab)
 
 
 class TestLoadParser(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_load(self):
         data_dir = English.default_data_dir()
-        vocab = Vocab.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab'))
-        parser = Parser.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'deps'), vocab.strings, ArcEager)
+        if path.exists(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab')):
+            vocab = Vocab.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'vocab'))
+        if path.exists(path.join(data_dir, 'deps')):
+            parser = Parser.from_dir(path.join(data_dir, 'deps'), vocab.strings, ArcEager)
 
     def test_load_careful(self):
         config_data = {"labels": {"0": {"": True}, "1": {"": True}, "2": {"cc": True, "agent": True, "ccomp": True, "prt": True, "meta": True, "nsubjpass": True, "csubj": True, "conj": True, "dobj": True, "neg": True, "csubjpass": True, "mark": True, "auxpass": True, "advcl": True, "aux": True, "ROOT": True, "prep": True, "parataxis": True, "xcomp": True, "nsubj": True, "nummod": True, "advmod": True, "punct": True, "relcl": True, "quantmod": True, "acomp": True, "compound": True, "pcomp": True, "intj": True, "poss": True, "npadvmod": True, "case": True, "attr": True, "dep": True, "appos": True, "det": True, "nmod": True, "amod": True, "dative": True, "pobj": True, "expl": True, "predet": True, "preconj": True, "oprd": True, "acl": True}, "3": {"cc": True, "agent": True, "ccomp": True, "prt": True, "meta": True, "nsubjpass": True, "csubj": True, "conj": True, "acl": True, "poss": True, "neg": True, "mark": True, "auxpass": True, "advcl": True, "aux": True, "amod": True, "ROOT": True, "prep": True, "parataxis": True, "xcomp": True, "nsubj": True, "nummod": True, "advmod": True, "punct": True, "quantmod": True, "acomp": True, "pcomp": True, "intj": True, "relcl": True, "npadvmod": True, "case": True, "attr": True, "dep": True, "appos": True, "det": True, "nmod": True, "dobj": True, "dative": True, "pobj": True, "iobj": True, "expl": True, "predet": True, "preconj": True, "oprd": True}, "4": {"ROOT": True}}, "seed": 0, "features": "basic", "beam_width": 1}
@@ -67,8 +73,9 @@ class TestLoadParser(unittest.TestCase):
 
         # n classes. moves.n_moves above
         # n features. len(templates) + 1 above
-        model = LinearModel(92, 116)
-        model.load(model_loc)
+        if path.exists(model_loc):
+            model = LinearModel(92, 116)
+            model.load(model_loc)
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':