diff --git a/src/error.h b/src/error.h
index 7d14542971c..710aa5521c0 100644
--- a/src/error.h
+++ b/src/error.h
@@ -270,6 +270,14 @@ Obj RequireArgumentExInternal(const char * funcname,
     RequireArgumentCondition(funcname, op, op == True || op == False,        \
                              "must be true or false")
 
+/****************************************************************************
+**
+*F  RequireMutable
+*/
+#define RequireMutable(funcname, op, type)                                   \
+    RequireArgumentCondition(funcname, op, IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(op),               \
+                             "must be a mutable " type)
+
 
 /****************************************************************************
 **
diff --git a/src/listfunc.c b/src/listfunc.c
index 0a6a69bd0fe..1f7e3cb868f 100644
--- a/src/listfunc.c
+++ b/src/listfunc.c
@@ -221,8 +221,7 @@ static Obj FuncAPPEND_LIST_INTR(Obj self, Obj list1, Obj list2)
     Int                 i;              /* loop variable                   */
 
     /* check the mutability of the first argument */
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(list1))
-        ErrorMayQuit("Append: <list1> must be a mutable list", 0, 0);
+    RequireMutable("Append", list1, "list");
 
 
     /* handle the case of strings now */
diff --git a/src/lists.c b/src/lists.c
index 13b5dfea738..5c8f14a834d 100644
--- a/src/lists.c
+++ b/src/lists.c
@@ -863,16 +863,13 @@ void ASSB_LIST (
     DoOperation3Args( AssListOper, list, pos, obj );
 }
 
-void ASS2_LIST(Obj list, Obj pos1, Obj pos2, Obj obj)
+void ASS2_LIST(Obj mat, Obj pos1, Obj pos2, Obj obj)
 {
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(list)) {
-        ErrorMayQuit("Matrix Assignment: <mat> must be a mutable matrix", 0,
-                     0);
-    }
-    if (IS_POS_INTOBJ(pos1) && IS_POS_INTOBJ(pos2) && IS_PLIST(list)) {
+    RequireMutable("Matrix Assignment", mat, "matrix");
+    if (IS_POS_INTOBJ(pos1) && IS_POS_INTOBJ(pos2) && IS_PLIST(mat)) {
         Int p1 = INT_INTOBJ(pos1);
-        if ( p1 <= LEN_PLIST(list) ) {
-            Obj row = ELM_PLIST( list, p1 );
+        if (p1 <= LEN_PLIST(mat)) {
+            Obj row = ELM_PLIST(mat, p1);
             Int p2 = INT_INTOBJ(pos2);
 
             ASS_LIST( row, p2, obj );
@@ -880,7 +877,7 @@ void ASS2_LIST(Obj list, Obj pos1, Obj pos2, Obj obj)
         }
     }
 
-    DoOperation4Args( AssListOper, list, pos1, pos2, obj );
+    DoOperation4Args(AssListOper, mat, pos1, pos2, obj);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/vecgf2.c b/src/vecgf2.c
index da1b6d0dea5..0ed345140d6 100644
--- a/src/vecgf2.c
+++ b/src/vecgf2.c
@@ -1845,11 +1845,7 @@ static Obj FuncELMS_GF2VEC(Obj self, Obj list, Obj poss)
 static Obj FuncASS_GF2VEC(Obj self, Obj list, Obj pos, Obj elm)
 {
     // check that <list> is mutable
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(list)) {
-        ErrorReturnVoid("List Assignment: <list> must be a mutable list", 0L,
-                        0L, "you can 'return;' and ignore the assignment");
-        return 0;
-    }
+    RequireMutable("List Assignment", list, "list");
 
     // get the position
     UInt p = GetSmallInt("ASS_GF2VEC", pos);
@@ -1913,11 +1909,7 @@ static Obj FuncPLAIN_GF2MAT(Obj self, Obj list)
 static Obj FuncASS_GF2MAT(Obj self, Obj list, Obj pos, Obj elm)
 {
     // check that <list> is mutable
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(list)) {
-        ErrorReturnVoid("List Assignment: <list> must be a mutable list", 0L,
-                        0L, "you can 'return;' and ignore the assignment");
-        return 0;
-    }
+    RequireMutable("List Assignment", list, "list");
 
     // get the position
     UInt p = GetSmallInt("ASS_GF2MAT", pos);
@@ -1984,11 +1976,7 @@ static Obj FuncELM_GF2MAT(Obj self, Obj mat, Obj row)
 static Obj FuncUNB_GF2VEC(Obj self, Obj list, Obj pos)
 {
     // check that <list> is mutable
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(list)) {
-        ErrorReturnVoid("List Unbind: <list> must be a mutable list", 0L, 0L,
-                        "you can 'return;' and ignore the unbind");
-        return 0;
-    }
+    RequireMutable("List Unbind", list, "vector");
 
     if (DoFilter(IsLockedRepresentationVector, list) == True) {
         ErrorReturnVoid("Unbind forbidden on locked GF2 vector", 0L, 0L,
@@ -2027,11 +2015,7 @@ static Obj FuncUNB_GF2VEC(Obj self, Obj list, Obj pos)
 static Obj FuncUNB_GF2MAT(Obj self, Obj list, Obj pos)
 {
     // check that <list> is mutable
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(list)) {
-        ErrorReturnVoid("List Unbind: <list> must be a mutable list", 0L, 0L,
-                        "you can 'return;' and ignore the unbind");
-        return 0;
-    }
+    RequireMutable("List Unbind", list, "list");
 
     // get the position
     UInt p = GetSmallInt("UNB_GF2MAT", pos);
@@ -2532,8 +2516,8 @@ static Obj FuncCOPY_SECTION_GF2VECS(
     if (ihowmany < 0 ||
         ifrom + ihowmany - 1 > lens || ito + ihowmany - 1 > lend)
         ErrorMayQuit("Bad argument values", 0, 0);
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(dest))
-        ErrorMayQuit("Immutable destination vector", 0, 0);
+    RequireMutable("COPY_SECTION_GF2VECS", dest, "vector");
+
     CopySection_GF2Vecs(src, dest, (UInt)ifrom, (UInt)ito, (UInt)ihowmany);
     return (Obj)0;
 }
@@ -3381,11 +3365,8 @@ static void ResizeGF2Vec(Obj vec, UInt newlen)
 static Obj FuncRESIZE_GF2VEC(Obj self, Obj vec, Obj newlen)
 {
     Int newlen1;
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(vec)) {
-        ErrorReturnVoid("RESIZE_GF2VEC: the vector must be mutable", 0, 0,
-                        "you may 'return;' to skip the operation");
-        return (Obj)0;
-    }
+    RequireMutable("RESIZE_GF2VEC", vec, "vector");
+
     newlen1 = GetNonnegativeSmallInt("RESIZE_GF2VEC", newlen);
     ResizeGF2Vec(vec, newlen1);
     return (Obj)0;
@@ -3445,11 +3426,8 @@ static void ShiftLeftGF2Vec(Obj vec, UInt amount)
 static Obj FuncSHIFT_LEFT_GF2VEC(Obj self, Obj vec, Obj amount)
 {
     Int amount1;
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(vec)) {
-        ErrorReturnVoid("SHIFT_LEFT_GF2VEC: the vector must be mutable", 0, 0,
-                        "you may 'return;' to skip the operation");
-        return (Obj)0;
-    }
+    RequireMutable("SHIFT_LEFT_GF2VEC", vec, "vector");
+
     amount1 = GetNonnegativeSmallInt("SHIFT_LEFT_GF2VEC", amount);
     ShiftLeftGF2Vec(vec, amount1);
     return (Obj)0;
@@ -3513,11 +3491,8 @@ static void ShiftRightGF2Vec(Obj vec, UInt amount)
 static Obj FuncSHIFT_RIGHT_GF2VEC(Obj self, Obj vec, Obj amount)
 {
     Int amount1;
-    if (!IS_MUTABLE_OBJ(vec)) {
-        ErrorReturnVoid("SHIFT_RIGHT_GF2VEC: the vector must be mutable", 0,
-                        0, "you may 'return;' to skip the operation");
-        return (Obj)0;
-    }
+    RequireMutable("SHIFT_RIGHT_GF2VEC", vec, "vector");
+
     amount1 = GetNonnegativeSmallInt("SHIFT_RIGHT_GF2VEC", amount);
     ShiftRightGF2Vec(vec, amount1);
     return (Obj)0;
diff --git a/tst/testinstall/kernel/listfunc.tst b/tst/testinstall/kernel/listfunc.tst
index 93e354297ec..038855c0d9d 100644
--- a/tst/testinstall/kernel/listfunc.tst
+++ b/tst/testinstall/kernel/listfunc.tst
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Error, Remove: <list> must not be empty
 
 #
 gap> APPEND_LIST_INTR(fail, fail);
-Error, Append: <list1> must be a mutable list
+Error, Append: <list1> must be mutable
 gap> APPEND_LIST_INTR(rec(), fail);
 Error, AppendList: <list1> must be a small list (not a record (plain))
 
diff --git a/tst/testinstall/listindex.tst b/tst/testinstall/listindex.tst
index 3ce69f27e7e..464b2f8448d 100644
--- a/tst/testinstall/listindex.tst
+++ b/tst/testinstall/listindex.tst
@@ -201,11 +201,11 @@ gap> l := [];; Append(l,l); l;
 gap> l := [1,2,3,4];; Append(l,l); l;
 [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 ]
 gap> Append(Immutable([1,2,3]), [1,2,3]);
-Error, Append: <list1> must be a mutable list
+Error, Append: <list1> must be a mutable list (not a list (plain,cyc,imm))
 gap> Append([1,2,3], () );
 Error, AppendList: <list2> must be a small list (not a permutation (small))
 gap> Append( () , [1,2,3] );
-Error, Append: <list1> must be a mutable list
+Error, Append: <list1> must be a mutable list (not a permutation (small))
 gap> s;
 [  ]
 
diff --git a/tst/testinstall/matblock.tst b/tst/testinstall/matblock.tst
index b6920c6be3c..66c46469494 100644
--- a/tst/testinstall/matblock.tst
+++ b/tst/testinstall/matblock.tst
@@ -111,7 +111,8 @@ true
 
 # block matrices are immutable
 gap> m1[1,2] := 5;
-Error, Matrix Assignment: <mat> must be a mutable matrix
+Error, Matrix Assignment: <mat> must be a mutable matrix (not a object (compon\
+ent))
 
 #
 gap> STOP_TEST( "matblock.tst", 1);