diff --git a/ext/standard/assert.c b/ext/standard/assert.c
index a2c50d5cb6772..eaa1dc9bcfe60 100644
--- a/ext/standard/assert.c
+++ b/ext/standard/assert.c
@@ -136,20 +136,20 @@ PHP_MINFO_FUNCTION(assert) /* {{{ */
 }
 /* }}} */
 
-/* {{{ proto int assert(string|bool assertion)
+/* {{{ proto int assert(string|bool assertion[, string description])
    Checks if assertion is false */
 PHP_FUNCTION(assert)
 {
 	zval **assertion;
-	int val;
+	int val, description_len = 0;
 	char *myeval = NULL;
-	char *compiled_string_description;
+	char *compiled_string_description, *description;
 
 	if (! ASSERTG(active)) {
 		RETURN_TRUE;
 	}
 
-	if (zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "Z", &assertion) == FAILURE) {
+	if (zend_parse_parameters(ZEND_NUM_ARGS() TSRMLS_CC, "Z|s", &assertion, &description, &description_len) == FAILURE) {
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -167,7 +167,11 @@ PHP_FUNCTION(assert)
 		compiled_string_description = zend_make_compiled_string_description("assert code" TSRMLS_CC);
 		if (zend_eval_stringl(myeval, Z_STRLEN_PP(assertion), &retval, compiled_string_description TSRMLS_CC) == FAILURE) {
 			efree(compiled_string_description);
-			php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_RECOVERABLE_ERROR, "Failure evaluating code: %s%s", PHP_EOL, myeval);
+			if (description_len == 0) {
+				php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_RECOVERABLE_ERROR, "Failure evaluating code: %s%s", PHP_EOL, myeval);
+			} else {
+				php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_RECOVERABLE_ERROR, "Failure evaluating code: %s%s:\"%s\"", PHP_EOL, description, myeval);
+			}
 			if (ASSERTG(bail)) {
 				zend_bailout();
 			}
@@ -196,7 +200,7 @@ PHP_FUNCTION(assert)
 	}
 
 	if (ASSERTG(callback)) {
-		zval *args[3];
+		zval **args = safe_emalloc(description_len == 0 ? 3 : 4, sizeof(zval **), 0);
 		zval *retval;
 		int i;
 		uint lineno = zend_get_executed_lineno(TSRMLS_C);
@@ -214,19 +218,38 @@ PHP_FUNCTION(assert)
 		ZVAL_FALSE(retval);
 
 		/* XXX do we want to check for error here? */
-		call_user_function(CG(function_table), NULL, ASSERTG(callback), retval, 3, args TSRMLS_CC);
+		if (description_len == 0) {
+			call_user_function(CG(function_table), NULL, ASSERTG(callback), retval, 3, args TSRMLS_CC);
+			for (i = 0; i <= 2; i++) {
+				zval_ptr_dtor(&(args[i]));
+			}
+		} else {
+			MAKE_STD_ZVAL(args[3]);
+			ZVAL_STRINGL(args[3], SAFE_STRING(description), description_len, 1);
 
-		for (i = 0; i <= 2; i++) {
-			zval_ptr_dtor(&(args[i]));
+			call_user_function(CG(function_table), NULL, ASSERTG(callback), retval, 4, args TSRMLS_CC);
+			for (i = 0; i <= 3; i++) {
+				zval_ptr_dtor(&(args[i]));
+			}
 		}
+
+		efree(args);
 		zval_ptr_dtor(&retval);
 	}
 
 	if (ASSERTG(warning)) {
-		if (myeval) {
-			php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_WARNING, "Assertion \"%s\" failed", myeval);
+		if (description_len == 0) {
+			if (myeval) {
+				php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_WARNING, "Assertion \"%s\" failed", myeval);
+			} else {
+				php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_WARNING, "Assertion failed");
+			}
 		} else {
-			php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_WARNING, "Assertion failed");
+			if (myeval) {
+				php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_WARNING, "%s:\"%s\" failed", description, myeval);
+			} else {
+				php_error_docref(NULL TSRMLS_CC, E_WARNING, "%s failed", description);
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -321,3 +344,4 @@ PHP_FUNCTION(assert_options)
  * vim600: sw=4 ts=4 fdm=marker
  * vim<600: sw=4 ts=4
  */
+
diff --git a/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert04.phpt b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert04.phpt
index 0da23186e6432..bffadcb97c6e7 100644
--- a/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert04.phpt
+++ b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert04.phpt
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ assert(1);
  
 /* Wrong parameter count in assert */
 assert_options(ASSERT_ACTIVE, 1);
-assert(2,3);
+assert(2, "failure", 3);
  
 /* Wrong parameter count in assert_options */
 assert_options(ASSERT_ACTIVE, 0, 2);
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ echo "not reached\n";
  
 ?>
 --EXPECTF--
-Warning: assert() expects exactly 1 parameter, 2 given in %s on line %d
+Warning: assert() expects at most 2 parameters, 3 given in %s on line %d
 
 Warning: assert_options() expects at most 2 parameters, 3 given in %s on line %d
 
@@ -45,3 +45,4 @@ Warning: assert_options() expects parameter 1 to be long, %unicode_string_option
 Warning: assert(): Assertion failed in %s on line %d
 
 Warning: assert(): Assertion failed in %s on line %d
+
diff --git a/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_basic6.phpt b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_basic6.phpt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..4b6b9d86d38cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_basic6.phpt
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+--TEST--
+assert() - basic - Test that bailout works
+--INI--
+assert.active = 1
+assert.warning = 1
+assert.callback = f1
+assert.quiet_eval = 1
+assert.bail = 0
+--FILE--
+<?php
+function f1($message) 
+{
+	echo "f1 called\n";
+}
+
+//bail out on error
+var_dump($rao = assert_options(ASSERT_BAIL, 1));
+$sa = "0 != 0";
+var_dump($r2 = assert($sa, "0 is 0"));
+echo "If this is printed BAIL hasn't worked";
+--EXPECTF--
+int(0)
+f1 called
+
+Warning: assert(): 0 is 0:"0 != 0" failed in %s on line 10
+
diff --git a/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error1.phpt b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error1.phpt
index 6211f1c918b16..657b411f67e2d 100644
--- a/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error1.phpt
+++ b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error1.phpt
@@ -20,19 +20,19 @@ function handler($errno, $errstr) {
 
 //Wrong number of parameters for assert_options()
 assert_options(ASSERT_WARNING, 1);
-var_dump($rao=assert_options(ASSERT_CALLBACK,"f1",1));
+var_dump($rao = assert_options(ASSERT_CALLBACK, "f1", 1));
 
 
 //Unknown option for assert_options()
-var_dump($rao=assert_options("F1","f1"));
+var_dump($rao=assert_options("F1", "f1"));
 
 //Wrong number of parameters for  assert()
 $sa="0 != 0";
-var_dump($r2=assert($sa,1));
+var_dump($r2 = assert($sa, "message", 1));
 
 
 //Catch recoverable error with handler
-var_dump($rc=assert('aa=sd+as+safsafasfaçsafçsafç'));
+var_dump($rc = assert('aa=sd+as+safsafasfaçsafçsafç'));
 --EXPECTF--
 Warning: assert_options() expects at most 2 parameters, 3 given in %s on line %d
 NULL
@@ -40,5 +40,6 @@ NULL
 Warning: assert_options() expects parameter 1 to be long, string given in %s on line %d
 NULL
 
-Warning: assert() expects exactly 1 parameter, 2 given in %s on line %d
+Warning: assert() expects at most 2 parameters, 3 given in %s on line %d
 NULL
+
diff --git a/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error2.phpt b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error2.phpt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..da7c3d9e0bbbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error2.phpt
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+--TEST--
+assert() - basic - Test that bailout works
+--INI--
+assert.active = 1
+assert.warning = 1
+assert.callback = f1
+assert.quiet_eval = 1
+assert.bail = 0
+error_reporting = -1
+display_errors = 1
+--FILE--
+<?php
+function f1($script, $line, $message, $user_message) 
+{
+	echo "f1 called\n";
+}
+
+//bail out on error
+var_dump($rao = assert_options(ASSERT_BAIL, 1));
+$sa = "0 != 0";
+var_dump($r2 = assert($sa));
+echo "If this is printed BAIL hasn't worked";
+--EXPECTF--
+int(0)
+
+Warning: Missing argument 4 for f1() in %s on line 2
+f1 called
+
+Warning: assert(): Assertion "0 != 0" failed in %s on line 10
+
diff --git a/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error3.phpt b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error3.phpt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..54b91edd3d93e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error3.phpt
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+--TEST--
+assert() - basic - Test recoverable error
+--INI--
+assert.active = 1
+assert.warning = 1
+assert.callback = f1
+assert.quiet_eval = 0
+assert.bail = 0
+error_reporting = -1
+display_errors = 1
+--FILE--
+<?php
+$sa = "0 $ 0";
+var_dump($r2 = assert($sa));
+--EXPECTF--
+
+Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '$' in %s(3) : assert code on line 1
+
+Catchable fatal error: assert(): Failure evaluating code: 
+0 $ 0 in %s on line 3
+
diff --git a/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error4.phpt b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error4.phpt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..264cc8fecf6f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/standard/tests/assert/assert_error4.phpt
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+--TEST--
+assert() - basic - Test recoverable error
+--INI--
+assert.active = 1
+assert.warning = 1
+assert.callback = f1
+assert.quiet_eval = 0
+assert.bail = 0
+error_reporting = -1
+display_errors = 1
+--FILE--
+<?php
+$sa = "0 $ 0";
+var_dump($r2 = assert($sa, "Describing what was asserted"));
+--EXPECTF--
+
+Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '$' in %s(3) : assert code on line 1
+
+Catchable fatal error: assert(): Failure evaluating code: 
+Describing what was asserted:"0 $ 0" in %s on line 3
+