diff -r 6dc8616cea9b -r 19d6ba779759 src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/parser/JavacParser.java
--- a/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/parser/JavacParser.java	Tue Nov 06 18:41:56 2012 -0800
+++ b/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/parser/JavacParser.java	Mon Nov 05 16:26:09 2012 +0000
@@ -88,6 +88,15 @@
     /** End position mappings container */
     private final AbstractEndPosTable endPosTable;
 
+    interface ErrorRecoveryAction {
+        JCTree doRecover(JavacParser parser);
+    }
+
+    enum BasicErrorRecoveryAction implements ErrorRecoveryAction {
+        BLOCK_STMT {public JCTree doRecover(JavacParser parser) { return parser.parseStatementAsBlock(); }},
+        CATCH_CLAUSE {public JCTree doRecover(JavacParser parser) { return parser.catchClause(); }}
+    }
+
     /** Construct a parser from a given scanner, tree factory and log.
      */
     protected JavacParser(ParserFactory fac,
@@ -2102,11 +2111,15 @@
             nextToken();
             return toP(F.at(pos).Skip());
         case ELSE:
-            return toP(F.Exec(syntaxError("else.without.if")));
+            int elsePos = token.pos;
+            nextToken();
+            return doRecover(elsePos, BasicErrorRecoveryAction.BLOCK_STMT, "else.without.if");
         case FINALLY:
-            return toP(F.Exec(syntaxError("finally.without.try")));
+            int finallyPos = token.pos;
+            nextToken();
+            return doRecover(finallyPos, BasicErrorRecoveryAction.BLOCK_STMT, "finally.without.try");
         case CATCH:
-            return toP(F.Exec(syntaxError("catch.without.try")));
+            return doRecover(token.pos, BasicErrorRecoveryAction.CATCH_CLAUSE, "catch.without.try");
         case ASSERT: {
             if (allowAsserts && token.kind == ASSERT) {
                 nextToken();
@@ -2139,6 +2152,13 @@
         }
     }
 
+    private JCStatement doRecover(int startPos, ErrorRecoveryAction action, String key) {
+        int errPos = S.errPos();
+        JCTree stm = action.doRecover(this);
+        S.errPos(errPos);
+        return toP(F.Exec(syntaxError(startPos, List.<JCTree>of(stm), key)));
+    }
+
     /** CatchClause     = CATCH "(" FormalParameter ")" Block
      */
     protected JCCatch catchClause() {