diff --git a/collects/scheme/private/contract.ss b/collects/scheme/private/contract.ss
index c8d3d878b8..729fe92bf2 100644
--- a/collects/scheme/private/contract.ss
+++ b/collects/scheme/private/contract.ss
@@ -966,13 +966,15 @@ improve method arity mismatch contract violation error messages?
                   (if candidate-proc
                       (candidate-proc val)
                       (raise-contract-error val src-info pos-blame orig-str 
-                                            "none of the branches of the or/c matched"))]
+                                            "none of the branches of the or/c matched, given ~e"
+                                            val))]
                  [((car checks) val)
                   (if candidate-proc
-                      (error 'or/c "two arguments, ~s and ~s, might both match ~s"
-                             (contract-name candidate-contract)
-                             (contract-name (car contracts))
-                             val)
+                      (raise-contract-error val src-info pos-blame orig-str
+                                            "two of the clauses in the or/c might both match: ~s and ~s, given ~e"
+                                            (contract-name candidate-contract)
+                                            (contract-name (car contracts))
+                                            val)
                       (loop (cdr checks)
                             (cdr procs)
                             (cdr contracts)
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/reference/contracts.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/reference/contracts.scrbl
index 675feb7906..1f5053a8c6 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/reference/contracts.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/reference/contracts.scrbl
@@ -101,14 +101,14 @@ checks all of the @tech{flat contracts}. If none of them pass, it
 calls @scheme[contract-first-order-passes?] with each of the
 higher-order contracts. If only one returns true, @scheme[or/c] uses
 that contract. If none of them return true, it signals a contract
-violation. If more than one returns true, it signals an error
-indicating that multiple branches of the @scheme[or/c] each might
-apply to the value. For example, this contract
+violation. If more than one returns true, it also signals a contract
+violation.
+For example, this contract
 @schemeblock[
 (or/c (-> number? number?)
       (-> string? string? string?))
 ]
-cannot accept a function like this one: @scheme[(lambda args ...)] 
+does not accept a function like this one: @scheme[(lambda args ...)] 
 since it cannot tell which of the two arrow contracts should be used
 with the function.
 }