diff --git a/gson/src/main/java/com/google/gson/stream/JsonReader.java b/gson/src/main/java/com/google/gson/stream/JsonReader.java
index 7fa3e468..8cf34dbd 100644
--- a/gson/src/main/java/com/google/gson/stream/JsonReader.java
+++ b/gson/src/main/java/com/google/gson/stream/JsonReader.java
@@ -1097,7 +1097,8 @@ public final class JsonReader implements Closeable {
         token = JsonToken.NUMBER;
       } catch (NumberFormatException ignored) {
         // this must be an unquoted string
-        throw syntaxError("invalid number or unquoted string");
+        checkLenient();
+        token = JsonToken.STRING;
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/JsonParserTest.java b/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/JsonParserTest.java
index efb89aba..a7344452 100644
--- a/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/JsonParserTest.java
+++ b/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/JsonParserTest.java
@@ -18,12 +18,10 @@ package com.google.gson;
 
 import com.google.gson.common.TestTypes.BagOfPrimitives;
 import com.google.gson.stream.JsonReader;
-
-import junit.framework.TestCase;
-
 import java.io.CharArrayReader;
 import java.io.CharArrayWriter;
 import java.io.StringReader;
+import junit.framework.TestCase;
 
 /**
  * Unit test for {@link JsonParser}
@@ -40,10 +38,11 @@ public class JsonParserTest extends TestCase {
   }
 
   public void testParseUnquotedStringArrayFails() {
-    try {
-      parser.parse("[a,b,c]");
-      fail();
-    } catch (JsonSyntaxException expected) {}
+    JsonElement element = parser.parse("[a,b,c]");
+    assertEquals("a", element.getAsJsonArray().get(0).getAsString());
+    assertEquals("b", element.getAsJsonArray().get(1).getAsString());
+    assertEquals("c", element.getAsJsonArray().get(2).getAsString());
+    assertEquals(3, element.getAsJsonArray().size());
   }
 
   public void testParseString() {
@@ -66,10 +65,7 @@ public class JsonParserTest extends TestCase {
   }
 
   public void testParseUnquotedSingleWordStringFails() {
-    try {
-      parser.parse("Test");
-      fail();
-    } catch (JsonSyntaxException expected) { }
+    assertEquals("Test", parser.parse("Test").getAsString());
   }
 
   public void testParseUnquotedMultiWordStringFails() {
diff --git a/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/functional/PrimitiveTest.java b/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/functional/PrimitiveTest.java
index 99693f3a..81d257cf 100644
--- a/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/functional/PrimitiveTest.java
+++ b/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/functional/PrimitiveTest.java
@@ -572,10 +572,7 @@ public class PrimitiveTest extends TestCase {
   }
 
   public void testUnquotedStringDeserializationFails() throws Exception {
-    try {
-      gson.fromJson("UnquotedSingleWord", String.class);
-      fail();
-    } catch (JsonSyntaxException expected) { }
+    assertEquals("UnquotedSingleWord", gson.fromJson("UnquotedSingleWord", String.class));
 
     String value = "String Blah Blah Blah...1, 2, 3";
     try {
diff --git a/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/stream/JsonReaderTest.java b/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/stream/JsonReaderTest.java
index ce16375e..49c1b5c2 100644
--- a/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/stream/JsonReaderTest.java
+++ b/gson/src/test/java/com/google/gson/stream/JsonReaderTest.java
@@ -16,10 +16,9 @@
 
 package com.google.gson.stream;
 
-import junit.framework.TestCase;
-
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.StringReader;
+import junit.framework.TestCase;
 
 public final class JsonReaderTest extends TestCase {
 
@@ -565,10 +564,7 @@ public final class JsonReaderTest extends TestCase {
     JsonReader reader = new JsonReader(new StringReader("[a]"));
     reader.setLenient(true);
     reader.beginArray();
-    try {
-      reader.nextString();
-      fail();
-    } catch (MalformedJsonException expected) { }
+    assertEquals("a", reader.nextString());
   }
 
   public void testStrictSingleQuotedStrings() throws IOException {
@@ -761,7 +757,8 @@ public final class JsonReaderTest extends TestCase {
     JsonReader reader = new JsonReader(new StringReader(")]}' []"));
     reader.setLenient(true);
     try {
-      reader.beginArray();
+      assertEquals(")", reader.nextString());
+      reader.nextString();
       fail();
     } catch (IOException expected) {
     }