diff --git a/spec/unit/string/action_spec.rb b/spec/unit/string/action_spec.rb
index 4026c9a58..caf3291b6 100755
--- a/spec/unit/string/action_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/unit/string/action_spec.rb
@@ -1,75 +1,66 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env ruby
 
 require File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../../spec_helper.rb')
 require 'puppet/string/action'
 
 describe Puppet::String::Action do
   describe "when validating the action name" do
-    it "should require a name" do
-      lambda { Puppet::String::Action.new(nil,nil) }.should raise_error("'' is an invalid action name")
-    end
-
-    it "should not allow empty names" do
-      lambda { Puppet::String::Action.new(nil,'') }.should raise_error("'' is an invalid action name")
-    end
-
-    it "should not allow names with whitespace" do
-      lambda { Puppet::String::Action.new(nil,'foo bar') }.should raise_error("'foo bar' is an invalid action name")
-    end
-
-    it "should not allow names beginning with dashes" do
-      lambda { Puppet::String::Action.new(nil,'-foobar') }.should raise_error("'-foobar' is an invalid action name")
+    [nil, '', 'foo bar', '-foobar'].each do |input|
+      it "should treat #{input.inspect} as an invalid name" do
+        expect { Puppet::Interface::Action.new(nil, input) }.
+          should raise_error(/is an invalid action name/)
+      end
     end
   end
 
   describe "when invoking" do
     it "should be able to call other actions on the same object" do
       string = Puppet::String.new(:my_string, '0.0.1') do
         action(:foo) do
           invoke { 25 }
         end
 
         action(:bar) do
           invoke { "the value of foo is '#{foo}'" }
         end
       end
       string.foo.should == 25
       string.bar.should == "the value of foo is '25'"
     end
 
     # bar is a class action calling a class action
     # quux is a class action calling an instance action
     # baz is an instance action calling a class action
     # qux is an instance action calling an instance action
     it "should be able to call other actions on the same object when defined on a class" do
       class Puppet::String::MyStringBaseClass < Puppet::String
         action(:foo) do
           invoke { 25 }
         end
 
         action(:bar) do
           invoke { "the value of foo is '#{foo}'" }
         end
 
         action(:quux) do
           invoke { "qux told me #{qux}" }
         end
       end
 
       string = Puppet::String::MyStringBaseClass.new(:my_inherited_string, '0.0.1') do
         action(:baz) do
           invoke { "the value of foo in baz is '#{foo}'" }
         end
 
         action(:qux) do
           invoke { baz }
         end
       end
       string.foo.should  == 25
       string.bar.should  == "the value of foo is '25'"
       string.quux.should == "qux told me the value of foo in baz is '25'"
       string.baz.should  == "the value of foo in baz is '25'"
       string.qux.should  == "the value of foo in baz is '25'"
     end
   end
 end