--- a/libinterp/parse-tree/lex.ll	Tue Jul 27 23:45:08 2021 -0400
+++ b/libinterp/parse-tree/lex.ll	Wed Jul 28 00:28:26 2021 -0400
@@ -1889,43 +1889,40 @@
 . {
     curr_lexer->lexer_debug (".");
 
-    if (curr_lexer->previous_token_may_be_command ()
-        && curr_lexer->space_follows_previous_token ())
+    curr_lexer->xunput (yytext[0]);
+
+    int c = curr_lexer->text_yyinput ();
+
+    if (c == 1)
+      return -1;
+    else if (c == EOF)
+      return curr_lexer->handle_end_of_input ();
+    else if (curr_lexer->previous_token_may_be_command ()
+             && curr_lexer->space_follows_previous_token ())
       {
         yyless (0);
         curr_lexer->push_start_state (COMMAND_START);
       }
     else
       {
-        curr_lexer->xunput (yytext[0]);
-
-        int c = curr_lexer->text_yyinput ();
-
-        if (c == 1)
-          return -1;
-        else if (c == EOF)
-          return curr_lexer->handle_end_of_input ();
-        else
-          {
-            std::ostringstream buf;
-
-            buf << "invalid character '"
-                << octave::undo_string_escape (static_cast<char> (c))
-                << "' (ASCII " << c << ")";
-
-            // Use current file position for error token.
-            octave::token *tok
-              = new octave::token (LEXICAL_ERROR, buf.str (),
-                                   curr_lexer->m_filepos, curr_lexer->m_filepos);
-
-            curr_lexer->push_token (tok);
-
-            curr_lexer->m_filepos.increment_column ();
-
-            return curr_lexer->count_token_internal (LEXICAL_ERROR);
-          }
+        std::ostringstream buf;
+
+        buf << "invalid character '"
+            << octave::undo_string_escape (static_cast<char> (c))
+            << "' (ASCII " << c << ")";
+
+        // Use current file position for error token.
+        octave::token *tok
+          = new octave::token (LEXICAL_ERROR, buf.str (),
+                               curr_lexer->m_filepos, curr_lexer->m_filepos);
+
+        curr_lexer->push_token (tok);
+
+        curr_lexer->m_filepos.increment_column ();
+
+        return curr_lexer->count_token_internal (LEXICAL_ERROR);
       }
-}
+  }
 
 %{
 #if defined (HAVE_PRAGMA_GCC_DIAGNOSTIC)