diff --git a/lib/child_process.js b/lib/child_process.js
index 5eee5228f040d3..6fd3af380f824c 100644
--- a/lib/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/child_process.js
@@ -19,15 +19,20 @@ const ChildProcess = exports.ChildProcess = child_process.ChildProcess;
 exports.fork = function(modulePath /*, args, options*/) {
 
   // Get options and args arguments.
-  var options, args, execArgv;
-  if (Array.isArray(arguments[1])) {
-    args = arguments[1];
-    options = util._extend({}, arguments[2]);
-  } else if (arguments[1] && typeof arguments[1] !== 'object') {
-    throw new TypeError('Incorrect value of args option');
-  } else {
-    args = [];
-    options = util._extend({}, arguments[1]);
+  var execArgv;
+  var options = {};
+  var args = [];
+  var pos = 1;
+  if (pos < arguments.length && Array.isArray(arguments[pos])) {
+    args = arguments[pos++];
+  }
+
+  if (pos < arguments.length && arguments[pos] != null) {
+    if (typeof arguments[pos] !== 'object') {
+      throw new TypeError('Incorrect value of args option');
+    } else {
+      options = util._extend({}, arguments[pos++]);
+    }
   }
 
   // Prepare arguments for fork:
@@ -132,7 +137,7 @@ exports.execFile = function(file /*, args, options, callback*/) {
     callback = arguments[pos++];
   }
 
-  if (pos === 1 && arguments.length > 1) {
+  if (!callback && arguments[pos] != null) {
     throw new TypeError('Incorrect value of args option');
   }
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-spawn-typeerror.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-spawn-typeerror.js
index bf59779a75ff5d..20b6e4691055f4 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-child-process-spawn-typeerror.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-spawn-typeerror.js
@@ -111,13 +111,36 @@ assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, o, u); });
 assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, n, o, c); });
 assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, n, c); });
 assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, o, n); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, u, u, u); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, u, u, c); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, u, o, u); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, u, u); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, n, n, n); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, n, n, c); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, n, o, n); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, n, n); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, u); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, n); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, o, u); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, o, n); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, c, u); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, c, n); });
 
 // string is invalid in arg position (this may seem strange, but is
 // consistent across node API, cf. `net.createServer('not options', 'not
 // callback')`
 assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, s, o, c); }, TypeError);
-assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, s, c); });
-assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, a, o, s); });
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, a, s, c); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, a, o, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, a, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, o, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, u, u, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, n, n, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, a, u, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, a, n, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, u, o, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { execFile(cmd, n, o, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { execFile(cmd, c, s); });
 
 
 // verify that fork has same argument parsing behaviour as spawn
@@ -131,6 +154,12 @@ assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty); });
 assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, a); });
 assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, a, o); });
 assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, o); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, u, u); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, u, o); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, a, u); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, n, n); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, n, o); });
+assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, a, n); });
 
 assert.throws(function() { fork(empty, s); }, TypeError);
-assert.doesNotThrow(function() { fork(empty, a, s); }, TypeError);
+assert.throws(function() { fork(empty, a, s); }, TypeError);