diff --git a/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/tags/EvalTag.java b/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/tags/EvalTag.java
index 9365f16c85c..18ac1a90fd6 100644
--- a/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/tags/EvalTag.java
+++ b/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/tags/EvalTag.java
@@ -155,8 +155,8 @@ public class EvalTag extends HtmlEscapingAwareTag {
 		}
 
 		public boolean canRead(EvaluationContext context, Object target, String name) throws AccessException {
-			return (target == null && (resolveImplicitVariable(name) != null) ||
-					this.pageContext.findAttribute(name) != null);
+			return (target == null &&
+					(resolveImplicitVariable(name) != null || this.pageContext.findAttribute(name) != null));
 		}
 
 		public TypedValue read(EvaluationContext context, Object target, String name) throws AccessException {
diff --git a/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/tags/EvalTagTests.java b/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/tags/EvalTagTests.java
index a2d31405cea..0ae40d9b3c3 100644
--- a/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/tags/EvalTagTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.web.servlet/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/servlet/tags/EvalTagTests.java
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 package org.springframework.web.servlet.tags;
 
 import java.math.BigDecimal;
-
 import javax.servlet.jsp.tagext.Tag;
 
 import org.springframework.format.annotation.NumberFormat;
@@ -26,6 +25,9 @@ import org.springframework.format.support.FormattingConversionServiceFactoryBean
 import org.springframework.mock.web.MockHttpServletResponse;
 import org.springframework.mock.web.MockPageContext;
 
+/**
+ * @author Keith Donald
+ */
 public class EvalTagTests extends AbstractTagTests {
 
 	private EvalTag tag;
@@ -91,7 +93,7 @@ public class EvalTagTests extends AbstractTagTests {
 	}
 
 	// SPR-6923
-	public void testNestedPropertyWithAttribtueName() throws Exception {
+	public void testNestedPropertyWithAttributeName() throws Exception {
 		tag.setExpression("bean.bean");
 		tag.setVar("foo");
 		int action = tag.doStartTag();
@@ -101,6 +103,7 @@ public class EvalTagTests extends AbstractTagTests {
 		assertEquals("not the bean object", context.getAttribute("foo"));
 	}
 
+
 	public static class Bean {
 		
 		public String method() {
@@ -123,4 +126,5 @@ public class EvalTagTests extends AbstractTagTests {
 			return "function foo() { alert(\"hi\") }";
 		}
 	}
+
 }