diff --git a/Lib/sunau.py b/Lib/sunau.py
index 940cfd47fe1..5ece29534eb 100644
--- a/Lib/sunau.py
+++ b/Lib/sunau.py
@@ -128,7 +128,8 @@ _simple_encodings = [AUDIO_FILE_ENCODING_MULAW_8,
 		     AUDIO_FILE_ENCODING_LINEAR_32,
 		     AUDIO_FILE_ENCODING_ALAW_8]
 
-Error = 'sunau.Error'
+class Error(Exception):
+	pass
 
 def _read_u32(file):
 	x = 0L
diff --git a/Lib/sunaudio.py b/Lib/sunaudio.py
index b7df71c97ef..cbd17d26d48 100644
--- a/Lib/sunaudio.py
+++ b/Lib/sunaudio.py
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 MAGIC = '.snd'
 
-error = 'sunaudio sound header conversion error'
+class error(Exception):
+	pass
 
 
 def get_long_be(s):
diff --git a/Lib/toaiff.py b/Lib/toaiff.py
index 84a77863a17..52c5a89aafe 100644
--- a/Lib/toaiff.py
+++ b/Lib/toaiff.py
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ uncompress = pipes.Template()
 uncompress.append('uncompress', '--')
 
 
-error = 'toaiff.error' # Exception
+class error(Exception):
+        pass
 
 def toaiff(filename):
 	temps = []
diff --git a/Lib/tokenize.py b/Lib/tokenize.py
index 1383f212466..a225211a74c 100644
--- a/Lib/tokenize.py
+++ b/Lib/tokenize.py
@@ -76,7 +76,10 @@ endprogs = {"'": re.compile(Single), '"': re.compile(Double),
             "R'''": single3prog, 'R"""': double3prog, 'r': None, 'R': None}
 
 tabsize = 8
-TokenError = 'TokenError'
+
+class TokenError(Exception):
+    pass
+
 def printtoken(type, token, (srow, scol), (erow, ecol), line): # for testing
     print "%d,%d-%d,%d:\t%s\t%s" % \
         (srow, scol, erow, ecol, tok_name[type], repr(token))
diff --git a/Lib/uu.py b/Lib/uu.py
index 252576d8813..e39b61bff34 100755
--- a/Lib/uu.py
+++ b/Lib/uu.py
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ import os
 import string
 import sys
 
-Error = 'uu.Error'
+class Error(Exception):
+    pass
 
 def encode(in_file, out_file, name=None, mode=None):
     """Uuencode file"""
diff --git a/Lib/wave.py b/Lib/wave.py
index 60c0b98319f..c8cf997ecaa 100644
--- a/Lib/wave.py
+++ b/Lib/wave.py
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ is destroyed.
 
 import __builtin__
 
-Error = 'wave.Error'
+class Error(Exception):
+    pass
 
 WAVE_FORMAT_PCM = 0x0001