diff --git a/src/pkg/text/template/exec.go b/src/pkg/text/template/exec.go
index ad0118e4e68..9a720cf43e3 100644
--- a/src/pkg/text/template/exec.go
+++ b/src/pkg/text/template/exec.go
@@ -369,6 +369,7 @@ func (s *state) evalVariableNode(dot reflect.Value, v *parse.VariableNode, args
 	// $x.Field has $x as the first ident, Field as the second. Eval the var, then the fields.
 	value := s.varValue(v.Ident[0])
 	if len(v.Ident) == 1 {
+		s.notAFunction(args, final)
 		return value
 	}
 	return s.evalFieldChain(dot, value, v.Ident[1:], args, final)
diff --git a/src/pkg/text/template/exec_test.go b/src/pkg/text/template/exec_test.go
index 70ab39cad20..5446027ff7a 100644
--- a/src/pkg/text/template/exec_test.go
+++ b/src/pkg/text/template/exec_test.go
@@ -466,6 +466,10 @@ var execTests = []execTest{
 	{"bug6b", "{{vfunc .V0 .V0}}", "vfunc", tVal, true},
 	{"bug6c", "{{vfunc .V1 .V0}}", "vfunc", tVal, true},
 	{"bug6d", "{{vfunc .V1 .V1}}", "vfunc", tVal, true},
+	// Legal parse but illegal execution: non-function should have no arguments.
+	{"bug7a", "{{3 2}}", "", tVal, false},
+	{"bug7b", "{{$x := 1}}{{$x 2}}", "", tVal, false},
+	{"bug7c", "{{$x := 1}}{{3 | $x}}", "", tVal, false},
 }
 
 func zeroArgs() string {