diff --git a/Lib/test/test_file.py b/Lib/test/test_file.py
index 9890b8c586f..f58d1dae604 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_file.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_file.py
@@ -241,8 +241,7 @@ class OtherFileTests:
         # Test for appropriate errors mixing read* and iteration
         for methodname, args in methods:
             f = self.open(TESTFN, 'rb')
-            if next(f) != filler:
-                self.fail, "Broken testfile"
+            self.assertEqual(next(f), filler)
             meth = getattr(f, methodname)
             meth(*args)  # This simply shouldn't fail
             f.close()
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_urllib2_localnet.py b/Lib/test/test_urllib2_localnet.py
index 52c897af433..77dec0ce713 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_urllib2_localnet.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_urllib2_localnet.py
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ class BasicAuthTests(unittest.TestCase):
         try:
             self.assertTrue(urllib.request.urlopen(self.server_url))
         except urllib.error.HTTPError:
-            self.fail("Basic auth failed for the url: %s", self.server_url)
+            self.fail("Basic auth failed for the url: %s" % self.server_url)
 
     def test_basic_auth_httperror(self):
         ah = urllib.request.HTTPBasicAuthHandler()