diff --git a/osc/commandline.py b/osc/commandline.py
index 6327dc65..5dc62f54 100644
--- a/osc/commandline.py
+++ b/osc/commandline.py
@@ -1044,7 +1044,7 @@ Please submit there instead, or use --nodevelproject to force direct submission.
     @cmdln.option('--exclude-target-project', action='append',
                         help='exclude target project from request list')
     @cmdln.option('--involved-projects', action='store_true',
-                        help='show all requests for project/packages where USER is involved in')
+                        help='show all requests for project/packages where USER is involved')
     @cmdln.alias("rq")
     @cmdln.alias("review")
     def do_request(self, subcmd, opts, *args):
diff --git a/osc/core.py b/osc/core.py
index b0f2a501..e5453303 100644
--- a/osc/core.py
+++ b/osc/core.py
@@ -2653,7 +2653,7 @@ def get_user_projpkgs_request_list(apiurl, user, req_state=('new',), req_type=No
         xp = ''
         for state in req_state:
             xp = xpath_join(xp, 'state/@name=\'%s\'' % state, inner=True)
-        xpath = xpath_join("(%s)" % xp, "(%s)" % xpath, op='and')
+        xpath = xpath_join(xp, '(%s)' % xpath, op='and')
     res = search(apiurl, request=xpath)
     result = []
     for root in res['request'].findall('request'):