diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/parser.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/parser.go
index a3f30793939..c3f131fe764 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/parser.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/parser.go
@@ -142,7 +142,6 @@ func (p *parser) syntax_error(msg string) {
 	var tok string
 	switch p.tok {
 	case LLITERAL:
-		// this is also done in Yyerror but it's cleaner to do it here
 		tok = litbuf
 	case LNAME:
 		if p.sym_ != nil && p.sym_.Name != "" {
diff --git a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/subr.go b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/subr.go
index 163ecbc34c1..0d25ddf2af9 100644
--- a/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/subr.go
+++ b/src/cmd/compile/internal/gc/subr.go
@@ -134,16 +134,6 @@ func Yyerror(format string, args ...interface{}) {
 			return
 		}
 
-		// The grammar has { and LBRACE but both show up as {.
-		// Rewrite syntax error referring to "{ or {" to say just "{".
-		// The grammar has ? and @ but only for reading imports.
-		// Silence them in ordinary errors.
-		msg = strings.Replace(msg, "{ or {", "{", -1)
-		msg = strings.Replace(msg, " or ?", "", -1)
-		msg = strings.Replace(msg, " or @", "", -1)
-
-		msg = strings.Replace(msg, "LLITERAL", litbuf, -1)
-
 		yyerrorl(int(lexlineno), "%s", msg)
 		return
 	}