diff --git a/batchconsumer/batcher.go b/batchconsumer/batcher.go
index 06e8dca..2d8480b 100644
--- a/batchconsumer/batcher.go
+++ b/batchconsumer/batcher.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func (b *batcher) AddMessage(msg []byte, pair kcl.SequencePair) error {
 	}
 
 	b.Batch = append(b.Batch, msg)
-	if b.SmallestSeq.IsEmpty() || pair.IsLessThan(b.SmallestSeq) {
+	if b.SmallestSeq.IsNil() || pair.IsLessThan(b.SmallestSeq) {
 		b.SmallestSeq = pair
 	}
 	b.LastUpdated = time.Now()
diff --git a/batchconsumer/batchermanager.go b/batchconsumer/batchermanager.go
index 7c0d3ad..bb1a3fe 100644
--- a/batchconsumer/batchermanager.go
+++ b/batchconsumer/batchermanager.go
@@ -128,12 +128,12 @@ func (b *batcherManager) sendCheckpoint(
 		}
 
 		// Check for empty because it's possible that no messages have been ignored
-		if smallest.IsEmpty() || batcher.SmallestSeq.IsLessThan(smallest) {
+		if smallest.IsNil() || batcher.SmallestSeq.IsLessThan(smallest) {
 			smallest = batcher.SmallestSeq
 		}
 	}
 
-	if !smallest.IsEmpty() {
+	if !smallest.IsNil() {
 		b.chkpntManager.Checkpoint(smallest)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/batchconsumer/checkpointmanager.go b/batchconsumer/checkpointmanager.go
index f526e27..6f312e0 100644
--- a/batchconsumer/checkpointmanager.go
+++ b/batchconsumer/checkpointmanager.go
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func (cm *checkpointManager) startCheckpointHandler(
 				}
 			}
 
-			if !pair.IsEmpty() {
+			if !pair.IsNil() {
 				checkpointer.Checkpoint(pair)
 				lastCheckpoint = time.Now()
 				stats.Counter("checkpoints-sent", 1)
diff --git a/batchconsumer/writer.go b/batchconsumer/writer.go
index 095dd73..af102d1 100644
--- a/batchconsumer/writer.go
+++ b/batchconsumer/writer.go
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func (b *batchedWriter) ProcessRecords(records []kcl.Record) error {
 		}
 
 		pair = kcl.SequencePair{seq, record.SubSequenceNumber}
-		if prevPair.IsEmpty() { // Handles on-start edge case where b.lastProcessSeq is empty
+		if prevPair.IsNil() { // Handles on-start edge case where b.lastProcessSeq is empty
 			prevPair = pair
 		}
 
diff --git a/kcl/kcl.go b/kcl/kcl.go
index 93aaf0d..3270be1 100644
--- a/kcl/kcl.go
+++ b/kcl/kcl.go
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ func (kclp *KCLProcess) Checkpoint(pair SequencePair) {
 	kclp.ckpmux.Lock()
 	defer kclp.ckpmux.Unlock()
 
-	if kclp.nextCheckpointPair.IsEmpty() || kclp.nextCheckpointPair.IsLessThan(pair) {
+	if kclp.nextCheckpointPair.IsNil() || kclp.nextCheckpointPair.IsLessThan(pair) {
 		kclp.nextCheckpointPair = pair
 	}
 }
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ func (kclp *KCLProcess) handleCheckpointAction(action ActionCheckpoint) error {
 	subSeq := action.SubSequenceNumber
 
 	kclp.ckpmux.Lock()
-	if !kclp.nextCheckpointPair.IsEmpty() {
+	if !kclp.nextCheckpointPair.IsNil() {
 		tmp := kclp.nextCheckpointPair.Sequence.String()
 		seq = &tmp
 		subSeq = &kclp.nextCheckpointPair.SubSequence
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ func (kclp *KCLProcess) Run() {
 		}
 
 		kclp.ckpmux.Lock()
-		if !kclp.nextCheckpointPair.IsEmpty() {
+		if !kclp.nextCheckpointPair.IsNil() {
 			seq := kclp.nextCheckpointPair.Sequence.String()
 			subSeq := kclp.nextCheckpointPair.SubSequence
 
diff --git a/kcl/sequencepair.go b/kcl/sequencepair.go
index df0fbfe..685d099 100644
--- a/kcl/sequencepair.go
+++ b/kcl/sequencepair.go
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@ type SequencePair struct {
 	SubSequence int
 }
 
-func (s SequencePair) IsEmpty() bool {
+func (s SequencePair) IsNil() bool {
 	return s.Sequence == nil
 }
 
 func (s SequencePair) IsLessThan(pair SequencePair) bool {
-	if s.IsEmpty() || pair.IsEmpty() { // empty pairs are incomparable
+	if s.IsNil() || pair.IsNil() { // empty pairs are incomparable
 		return false
 	}
 
diff --git a/kcl/sequencepair_test.go b/kcl/sequencepair_test.go
index 58d253f..51e0744 100644
--- a/kcl/sequencepair_test.go
+++ b/kcl/sequencepair_test.go
@@ -46,9 +46,9 @@ func TestSequencePairIsLessThan(t *testing.T) {
 func TestSequencePairEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	assert := assert.New(t)
 
-	assert.True(SequencePair{nil, 0}.IsEmpty())
-	assert.True(SequencePair{nil, 10000}.IsEmpty())
+	assert.True(SequencePair{nil, 0}.IsNil())
+	assert.True(SequencePair{nil, 10000}.IsNil())
 
-	assert.False(SequencePair{big.NewInt(10), 0}.IsEmpty())
-	assert.False(SequencePair{big.NewInt(0), 1000}.IsEmpty())
+	assert.False(SequencePair{big.NewInt(10), 0}.IsNil())
+	assert.False(SequencePair{big.NewInt(0), 1000}.IsNil())
 }