diff --git a/syntax/parser.go b/syntax/parser.go
index c11afa7f..17541b29 100644
--- a/syntax/parser.go
+++ b/syntax/parser.go
@@ -1721,10 +1721,11 @@ func (p *Parser) getStmt(readEnd, binCmd, fnBody bool) *Stmt {
 		b.Y = p.getStmt(false, true, false)
 		if b.Y == nil || p.err != nil {
 			if p.recoverError() {
-				return &Stmt{Position: recoveredPos}
+				b.Y = &Stmt{Position: recoveredPos}
+			} else {
+				p.followErr(b.OpPos, b.Op.String(), "a statement")
+				return nil
 			}
-			p.followErr(b.OpPos, b.Op.String(), "a statement")
-			return nil
 		}
 		s = &Stmt{Position: s.Position}
 		s.Cmd = b
@@ -1897,10 +1898,11 @@ func (p *Parser) gotStmtPipe(s *Stmt, binCmd bool) *Stmt {
 		p.got(_Newl)
 		if b.Y = p.gotStmtPipe(&Stmt{Position: p.pos}, true); b.Y == nil || p.err != nil {
 			if p.recoverError() {
-				return &Stmt{Position: recoveredPos}
+				b.Y = &Stmt{Position: recoveredPos}
+			} else {
+				p.followErr(b.OpPos, b.Op.String(), "a statement")
+				break
 			}
-			p.followErr(b.OpPos, b.Op.String(), "a statement")
-			break
 		}
 		s = &Stmt{Position: s.Position}
 		s.Cmd = b
diff --git a/syntax/parser_test.go b/syntax/parser_test.go
index 9ddfb02a..416342c8 100644
--- a/syntax/parser_test.go
+++ b/syntax/parser_test.go
@@ -2618,12 +2618,21 @@ func TestParseRecoverErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	printer := NewPrinter()
 	for _, tc := range tests {
 		t.Run("", func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Logf("input: %s", tc.src)
 			r := strings.NewReader(tc.src)
 			f, err := parser.Parse(r, "")
 			if tc.wantErr {
 				qt.Assert(t, qt.Not(qt.IsNil(err)))
 			} else {
 				qt.Assert(t, qt.IsNil(err))
+				switch len(f.Stmts) {
+				case 0:
+					t.Fatalf("result has no statements")
+				case 1:
+					if f.Stmts[0].Pos().IsRecovered() {
+						t.Fatalf("result is only a recovered statement")
+					}
+				}
 			}
 			qt.Assert(t, qt.Equals(countRecoveredPositions(reflect.ValueOf(f)), tc.wantMissing))