diff --git a/Doc/library/json.rst b/Doc/library/json.rst
index c2242d57e3e..d54194a6f13 100644
--- a/Doc/library/json.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/json.rst
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ Using json.tool from the shell to validate and pretty-print::
     {
         "json": "obj"
     }
-    $ echo '{ 1.2:3.4}' | python -mjson.tool
-    Expecting property name: line 1 column 2 (char 2)
+    $ echo '{1.2:3.4}' | python -mjson.tool
+    Expecting property name enclosed in double quotes: line 1 column 1 (char 1)
 
 .. highlight:: python
 
diff --git a/Lib/json/__init__.py b/Lib/json/__init__.py
index ccbe9f465f7..d3b8b0b8764 100644
--- a/Lib/json/__init__.py
+++ b/Lib/json/__init__.py
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ Using json.tool from the shell to validate and pretty-print::
         "json": "obj"
     }
     $ echo '{ 1.2:3.4}' | python -m json.tool
-    Expecting property name: line 1 column 2 (char 2)
+    Expecting property name enclosed in double quotes: line 1 column 2 (char 2)
 """
 __version__ = '2.0.9'
 __all__ = [
diff --git a/Lib/json/decoder.py b/Lib/json/decoder.py
index 1f2da72ffbc..7e2c68c8c46 100644
--- a/Lib/json/decoder.py
+++ b/Lib/json/decoder.py
@@ -169,7 +169,8 @@ def JSONObject(s_and_end, encoding, strict, scan_once, object_hook,
                 pairs = object_hook(pairs)
             return pairs, end + 1
         elif nextchar != '"':
-            raise ValueError(errmsg("Expecting property name", s, end))
+            raise ValueError(errmsg(
+                "Expecting property name enclosed in double quotes", s, end))
     end += 1
     while True:
         key, end = scanstring(s, end, encoding, strict)
@@ -179,8 +180,7 @@ def JSONObject(s_and_end, encoding, strict, scan_once, object_hook,
         if s[end:end + 1] != ':':
             end = _w(s, end).end()
             if s[end:end + 1] != ':':
-                raise ValueError(errmsg("Expecting : delimiter", s, end))
-
+                raise ValueError(errmsg("Expecting ':' delimiter", s, end))
         end += 1
 
         try:
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ def JSONObject(s_and_end, encoding, strict, scan_once, object_hook,
         if nextchar == '}':
             break
         elif nextchar != ',':
-            raise ValueError(errmsg("Expecting , delimiter", s, end - 1))
+            raise ValueError(errmsg("Expecting ',' delimiter", s, end - 1))
 
         try:
             nextchar = s[end]
@@ -224,8 +224,8 @@ def JSONObject(s_and_end, encoding, strict, scan_once, object_hook,
 
         end += 1
         if nextchar != '"':
-            raise ValueError(errmsg("Expecting property name", s, end - 1))
-
+            raise ValueError(errmsg(
+                "Expecting property name enclosed in double quotes", s, end - 1))
     if object_pairs_hook is not None:
         result = object_pairs_hook(pairs)
         return result, end
@@ -259,8 +259,7 @@ def JSONArray(s_and_end, scan_once, _w=WHITESPACE.match, _ws=WHITESPACE_STR):
         if nextchar == ']':
             break
         elif nextchar != ',':
-            raise ValueError(errmsg("Expecting , delimiter", s, end))
-
+            raise ValueError(errmsg("Expecting ',' delimiter", s, end))
         try:
             if s[end] in _ws:
                 end += 1
diff --git a/Lib/json/tool.py b/Lib/json/tool.py
index c37bb777ffd..b2c786d0205 100644
--- a/Lib/json/tool.py
+++ b/Lib/json/tool.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Usage::
         "json": "obj"
     }
     $ echo '{ 1.2:3.4}' | python -m json.tool
-    Expecting property name: line 1 column 2 (char 2)
+    Expecting property name enclosed in double quotes: line 1 column 2 (char 2)
 
 """
 import sys
diff --git a/Modules/_json.c b/Modules/_json.c
index 434b83c7358..e8a288bd7dd 100644
--- a/Modules/_json.c
+++ b/Modules/_json.c
@@ -1032,7 +1032,7 @@ _parse_object_unicode(PyScannerObject *s, PyObject *pystr, Py_ssize_t idx, Py_ss
         while (idx <= end_idx) {
             /* read key */
             if (str[idx] != '"') {
-                raise_errmsg("Expecting property name", pystr, idx);
+                raise_errmsg("Expecting property name enclosed in double quotes", pystr, idx);
                 goto bail;
             }
             key = scanstring_unicode(pystr, idx + 1, strict, &next_idx);
@@ -1043,7 +1043,7 @@ _parse_object_unicode(PyScannerObject *s, PyObject *pystr, Py_ssize_t idx, Py_ss
             /* skip whitespace between key and : delimiter, read :, skip whitespace */
             while (idx <= end_idx && IS_WHITESPACE(str[idx])) idx++;
             if (idx > end_idx || str[idx] != ':') {
-                raise_errmsg("Expecting : delimiter", pystr, idx);
+                raise_errmsg("Expecting ':' delimiter", pystr, idx);
                 goto bail;
             }
             idx++;
@@ -1075,7 +1075,7 @@ _parse_object_unicode(PyScannerObject *s, PyObject *pystr, Py_ssize_t idx, Py_ss
                 break;
             }
             else if (str[idx] != ',') {
-                raise_errmsg("Expecting , delimiter", pystr, idx);
+                raise_errmsg("Expecting ',' delimiter", pystr, idx);
                 goto bail;
             }
             idx++;
@@ -1236,7 +1236,7 @@ _parse_array_unicode(PyScannerObject *s, PyObject *pystr, Py_ssize_t idx, Py_ssi
                 break;
             }
             else if (str[idx] != ',') {
-                raise_errmsg("Expecting , delimiter", pystr, idx);
+                raise_errmsg("Expecting ',' delimiter", pystr, idx);
                 goto bail;
             }
             idx++;