diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/HIR.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/HIR.ts
index 4c5f024ca1..377a71c875 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/HIR.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/HIR.ts
@@ -702,6 +702,14 @@ export type InstructionValue =
       value: Place; // the collection
       loc: SourceLocation;
     }
+  // Represents a value that is unused but which we want to ensure is not dropped
+  // Examples include logical or ternary expressions that appear as expression statements,
+  // that appear only for their side effects
+  | {
+      kind: "ExpressionStatement";
+      value: Place;
+      loc: SourceLocation;
+    }
   /**
    * Catch-all for statements such as type imports, nested class declarations, etc
    * which are not directly represented, but included for completeness and to allow
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/PrintHIR.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/PrintHIR.ts
index d7d9856057..ed37e23be6 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/PrintHIR.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/PrintHIR.ts
@@ -474,6 +474,10 @@ export function printInstructionValue(instrValue: ReactiveValue): string {
       value = `NextIterableOf ${printPlace(instrValue.value)}`;
       break;
     }
+    case "ExpressionStatement": {
+      value = `ExpressionStatement ${printPlace(instrValue.value)}`;
+      break;
+    }
     default: {
       assertExhaustive(
         instrValue,
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/visitors.ts b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/visitors.ts
index 8164be1342..87a8bbacd1 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/HIR/visitors.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/HIR/visitors.ts
@@ -180,6 +180,10 @@ export function* eachInstructionValueOperand(
       yield instrValue.value;
       break;
     }
+    case "ExpressionStatement": {
+      yield instrValue.value;
+      break;
+    }
     case "RegExpLiteral":
     case "LoadGlobal":
     case "UnsupportedNode":
@@ -443,6 +447,10 @@ export function mapInstructionOperands(
       instrValue.value = fn(instrValue.value);
       break;
     }
+    case "ExpressionStatement": {
+      instrValue.value = fn(instrValue.value);
+      break;
+    }
     case "RegExpLiteral":
     case "LoadGlobal":
     case "UnsupportedNode":
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/Inference/InferReferenceEffects.ts b/compiler/forget/src/Inference/InferReferenceEffects.ts
index da168a013c..d70c335c9f 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/Inference/InferReferenceEffects.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/Inference/InferReferenceEffects.ts
@@ -807,6 +807,7 @@ function inferBlock(
         state.alias(lvalue, instrValue.value);
         continue;
       }
+      case "ExpressionStatement":
       case "TypeCastExpression": {
         // A type cast expression has no effect at runtime, so it's equivalent to a raw
         // identifier:
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/Optimization/DeadCodeElimination.ts b/compiler/forget/src/Optimization/DeadCodeElimination.ts
index 5268e40517..cbc6025361 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/Optimization/DeadCodeElimination.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/Optimization/DeadCodeElimination.ts
@@ -190,6 +190,11 @@ function pruneableValue(value: InstructionValue, state: State): boolean {
       }
       return true;
     }
+    case "ExpressionStatement": {
+      // We create ExpressionStatements specifically for expressions that would otherwise
+      // be dropped but which we don't want to eliminate.
+      return false;
+    }
     case "Await":
     case "CallExpression":
     case "ComputedDelete":
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
index e00340025e..3be220d796 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/CodegenReactiveFunction.ts
@@ -996,6 +996,10 @@ function codegenInstructionValue(
       value = codegenPlace(cx, instrValue.value);
       break;
     }
+    case "ExpressionStatement": {
+      value = codegenPlace(cx, instrValue.value);
+      break;
+    }
     case "DeclareLocal":
     case "Destructure":
     case "StoreLocal": {
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/InferReactiveScopeVariables.ts b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/InferReactiveScopeVariables.ts
index 986708c012..09d530f553 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/InferReactiveScopeVariables.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/InferReactiveScopeVariables.ts
@@ -234,7 +234,8 @@ function mayAllocate(value: InstructionValue): boolean {
     case "UnaryExpression":
     case "TemplateLiteral":
     case "Primitive":
-    case "NextIterableOf": {
+    case "NextIterableOf":
+    case "ExpressionStatement": {
       return false;
     }
     case "RegExpLiteral":
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/PruneNonEscapingScopes.ts b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/PruneNonEscapingScopes.ts
index 5bce281193..3a0db37932 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/PruneNonEscapingScopes.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/ReactiveScopes/PruneNonEscapingScopes.ts
@@ -436,7 +436,8 @@ function computeMemoizationInputs(
     }
     case "Await":
     case "TypeCastExpression":
-    case "NextIterableOf": {
+    case "NextIterableOf":
+    case "ExpressionStatement": {
       return {
         // Indirection for the inner value, memoized if the value is
         lvalues:
diff --git a/compiler/forget/src/TypeInference/InferTypes.ts b/compiler/forget/src/TypeInference/InferTypes.ts
index aea2656ea2..4b4cbe67f9 100644
--- a/compiler/forget/src/TypeInference/InferTypes.ts
+++ b/compiler/forget/src/TypeInference/InferTypes.ts
@@ -210,6 +210,7 @@ function* generateInstructionTypes(
     case "TemplateLiteral":
     case "Await":
     case "NextIterableOf":
+    case "ExpressionStatement":
     case "UnsupportedNode":
       break;
     default: