diff --git a/PHP/CodeCoverage.php b/PHP/CodeCoverage.php
index 7f051f297..041d01d93 100644
--- a/PHP/CodeCoverage.php
+++ b/PHP/CodeCoverage.php
@@ -620,7 +620,7 @@ protected function getLinesToBeCovered($className, $methodName)
         }
 
         $classShortcut = preg_match_all(
-          '(@coversDefaultClass\s+(?P<coveredClass>.*?)\s*$)m',
+          '(@coversDefaultClass\s+(?P<coveredClass>[^\s]++)\s*$)m',
           $class->getDocComment(),
           $matches
         );
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@ protected function getLinesToBeCovered($className, $methodName)
         }
 
         $match = preg_match_all(
-          '(@covers\s+(?P<coveredElement>.*?)\s*(\(\s*\))?\s*$)m',
+          '(@covers\s+(?P<coveredElement>[^\s()]++)[\s()]*$)m',
           $docComment,
           $matches
         );
diff --git a/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverage/FilterTest.php b/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverage/FilterTest.php
index f90e518f1..be8b71ee5 100644
--- a/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverage/FilterTest.php
+++ b/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverage/FilterTest.php
@@ -78,8 +78,12 @@ protected function setUp()
           TEST_FILES_PATH . 'BankAccountTest.php',
           TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageClassExtendedTest.php',
           TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageClassTest.php',
+          TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageFunctionParenthesesTest.php',
+          TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageFunctionParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php',
           TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageFunctionTest.php',
           TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageMethodOneLineAnnotationTest.php',
+          TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageMethodParenthesesTest.php',
+          TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageMethodParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php',
           TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageMethodTest.php',
           TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageNoneTest.php',
           TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageNotPrivateTest.php',
diff --git a/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverage/UtilTest.php b/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverage/UtilTest.php
index ed6b0f7cb..de7402d30 100644
--- a/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverage/UtilTest.php
+++ b/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverage/UtilTest.php
@@ -55,8 +55,12 @@
 require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageClassExtendedTest.php';
 require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageClassTest.php';
 require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageFunctionTest.php';
+require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageFunctionParenthesesTest.php';
+require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageFunctionParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php';
 require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageMethodTest.php';
 require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageMethodOneLineAnnotationTest.php';
+require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageMethodParenthesesTest.php';
+require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageMethodParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php';
 require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageNoneTest.php';
 require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageNotPrivateTest.php';
 require_once TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoverageNotProtectedTest.php';
diff --git a/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverageTest.php b/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverageTest.php
index 582b0a836..228175166 100644
--- a/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverageTest.php
+++ b/Tests/PHP/CodeCoverageTest.php
@@ -234,13 +234,10 @@ public function testClear()
     }
 
     /**
-     * Add parenthesis to the covers annotation below in a couple of different ways to make sure it
-     * works as expected
-     *
-     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::start()
-     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::stop( )
-     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::append ()
-     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::applyListsFilter ( )
+     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::start
+     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::stop
+     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::append
+     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::applyListsFilter
      * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::initializeFilesThatAreSeenTheFirstTime
      * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::applyCoversAnnotationFilter
      * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::getTests
@@ -399,6 +396,66 @@ public function testTwoCoversDefaultClassAnnoationsAreNotAllowed()
         );
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::getLinesToBeCovered
+     */
+    public function testFunctionParenthesesAreAllowed()
+    {
+        $this->assertSame(
+          array(TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoveredFunction.php' => range(2, 4)),
+          $this->getLinesToBeCovered->invoke(
+            $this->coverage,
+            'CoverageFunctionParenthesesTest',
+            'testSomething'
+          )
+        );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::getLinesToBeCovered
+     */
+    public function testFunctionParenthesesAreAllowedWithWhitespace()
+    {
+        $this->assertSame(
+          array(TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoveredFunction.php' => range(2, 4)),
+          $this->getLinesToBeCovered->invoke(
+            $this->coverage,
+            'CoverageFunctionParenthesesWhitespaceTest',
+            'testSomething'
+          )
+        );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::getLinesToBeCovered
+     */
+    public function testMethodParenthesesAreAllowed()
+    {
+        $this->assertSame(
+          array(TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoveredClass.php' => range(31, 35)),
+          $this->getLinesToBeCovered->invoke(
+            $this->coverage,
+            'CoverageMethodParenthesesTest',
+            'testSomething'
+          )
+        );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @covers PHP_CodeCoverage::getLinesToBeCovered
+     */
+    public function testMethodParenthesesAreAllowedWithWhitespace()
+    {
+        $this->assertSame(
+          array(TEST_FILES_PATH . 'CoveredClass.php' => range(31, 35)),
+          $this->getLinesToBeCovered->invoke(
+            $this->coverage,
+            'CoverageMethodParenthesesWhitespaceTest',
+            'testSomething'
+          )
+        );
+    }
+
     public function getLinesToBeCoveredProvider()
     {
         return array(
diff --git a/Tests/_files/CoverageFunctionParenthesesTest.php b/Tests/_files/CoverageFunctionParenthesesTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..33b5fe3de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/_files/CoverageFunctionParenthesesTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<?php
+class CoverageFunctionParenthesesTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+{
+    /**
+     * @covers ::globalFunction()
+     */
+    public function testSomething()
+    {
+        globalFunction();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Tests/_files/CoverageFunctionParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php b/Tests/_files/CoverageFunctionParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d7f7848b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/_files/CoverageFunctionParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<?php
+class CoverageFunctionParenthesesWhitespaceTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+{
+    /**
+     * @covers ::globalFunction ( ) 
+     */
+    public function testSomething()
+    {
+        globalFunction();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Tests/_files/CoverageMethodParenthesesTest.php b/Tests/_files/CoverageMethodParenthesesTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..422300457
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/_files/CoverageMethodParenthesesTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+<?php
+class CoverageMethodParenthesesTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+{
+    /**
+     * @covers CoveredClass::publicMethod()
+     */
+    public function testSomething()
+    {
+        $o = new CoveredClass;
+        $o->publicMethod();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Tests/_files/CoverageMethodParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php b/Tests/_files/CoverageMethodParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7f67f4b35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/_files/CoverageMethodParenthesesWhitespaceTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+<?php
+class CoverageMethodParenthesesWhitespaceTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+{
+    /**
+     * @covers CoveredClass::publicMethod ( ) 
+     */
+    public function testSomething()
+    {
+        $o = new CoveredClass;
+        $o->publicMethod();
+    }
+}