diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/test/compliance/mock_compile.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/test/compliance/mock_compile.ts
index e258951271..f2d45d7ae4 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/test/compliance/mock_compile.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/test/compliance/mock_compile.ts
@@ -74,8 +74,14 @@ export function expectEmit(
       const m = source.match(regexp);
       const expectedPiece = pieces[i - 1] == IDENTIFIER ? '<IDENT>' : pieces[i - 1];
       if (!m) {
+        // display at most `contextLength` characters of the line preceding the error location
+        const contextLength = 50;
+        const fullContext = source.substring(source.lastIndexOf('\n', last) + 1, last);
+        const context = fullContext.length > contextLength ?
+            `...${fullContext.substr(-contextLength)}` :
+            fullContext;
         fail(
-            `${description}: Expected to find ${expectedPiece} '${source.substr(0,last)}[<---HERE expected "${expectedPiece}"]${source.substr(last)}'`);
+            `${description}: Failed to find "${expectedPiece}" after "${context}" in:\n'${source.substr(0,last)}[<---HERE expected "${expectedPiece}"]${source.substr(last)}'`);
         return;
       } else {
         last = (m.index || 0) + m[0].length;
diff --git a/packages/compiler-cli/test/compliance/mock_compiler_spec.ts b/packages/compiler-cli/test/compliance/mock_compiler_spec.ts
index 77e5320f5f..4b0e3ab4d4 100644
--- a/packages/compiler-cli/test/compliance/mock_compiler_spec.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler-cli/test/compliance/mock_compiler_spec.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  */
 
 
-import {MockDirectory, setup} from '@angular/compiler/test/aot/test_util';
+import {setup} from '@angular/compiler/test/aot/test_util';
 import {compile, expectEmit} from './mock_compile';
 
 describe('mock_compiler', () => {