diff --git a/matchers/have_patterns.go b/matchers/have_patterns.go
index cf2bcd13..a879547f 100644
--- a/matchers/have_patterns.go
+++ b/matchers/have_patterns.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ type HavePatternsMatcher struct {
 	Elements        interface{}
 	missingElements []string
 	foundElements   []string
+	cachedActual    string
 }
 
 func HavePatterns(elements interface{}) GossMatcher {
@@ -76,8 +77,10 @@ func (m *HavePatternsMatcher) Match(actual interface{}) (success bool, err error
 	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(fh)
 	scanner.Buffer(nil, maxScanTokenSize)
 	var found []patternMatcher
+	var lines []string
 	for scanner.Scan() {
 		line := scanner.Text()
+		lines = append(lines, line)
 
 		i := 0
 		for _, pat := range notfound {
@@ -99,6 +102,7 @@ func (m *HavePatternsMatcher) Match(actual interface{}) (success bool, err error
 	if err := scanner.Err(); err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
+	m.cachedActual = strings.Join(lines, "\n")
 
 	for _, pat := range notfound {
 		// Didn't find it, but we didn't want to.. so we mark it as found
@@ -123,7 +127,7 @@ func (m *HavePatternsMatcher) FailureResult(actual interface{}) MatcherResult {
 	case string, []string:
 		a = actual
 	default:
-		a = fmt.Sprintf("object: %T", actual)
+		a = m.cachedActual
 	}
 	return MatcherResult{
 		Actual:          a,
@@ -135,9 +139,12 @@ func (m *HavePatternsMatcher) FailureResult(actual interface{}) MatcherResult {
 }
 
 func (m *HavePatternsMatcher) NegatedFailureResult(actual interface{}) MatcherResult {
-	a, ok := actual.(string)
-	if !ok {
-		a = fmt.Sprintf("object: %T", actual)
+	var a string
+	switch v := actual.(type) {
+	case string:
+		a = v
+	default:
+		a = m.cachedActual
 	}
 	return MatcherResult{
 		Actual:   a,
diff --git a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.documentation b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.documentation
index 735d3a63..10958d45 100644
--- a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.documentation
+++ b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.documentation
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ to satisfy at least one of these matchers
     [{"have-len":2}]
 Matching: basic_reader: matches:
 Expected
-    "object: *strings.Reader"
+    "foo bar\nmoo cow"
 to have patterns
     ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
 the missing elements were
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ to satisfy at least one of these matchers
 
 Matching: basic_reader: matches:
 Expected
-    "object: *strings.Reader"
+    "foo bar\nmoo cow"
 to have patterns
     ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
 the missing elements were
diff --git a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.rspecish b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.rspecish
index 3d6ca262..f8c1475a 100644
--- a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.rspecish
+++ b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.rspecish
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ to satisfy at least one of these matchers
 
 Matching: basic_reader: matches:
 Expected
-    "object: *strings.Reader"
+    "foo bar\nmoo cow"
 to have patterns
     ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
 the missing elements were
diff --git a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.tap b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.tap
index a60f1f65..e05ba321 100644
--- a/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.tap
+++ b/testdata/out_matching_basic_failing.1.tap
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ not ok 2 - Matching: basic_array_consists_of: matches: Expected ["foo","bar","mo
 not ok 3 - Matching: basic_array_matchers: matches: Expected ["foo","bar","moo"] to satisfy at least one of these matchers [{"contain-elements":["fox","box"]},{"contain-elements":["fox","bax"]},["fox","bax","mox"],{"consist-of":["fox",{"have-prefix":"t"},"box"]},{"contain-element":{"have-prefix":"x"}},{"contain-element":{"have-suffix":"x"}}]
 not ok 4 - Matching: basic_int: matches: Expected 42 to be numerically eq 43
 not ok 5 - Matching: basic_len: matches: Expected "123" to satisfy at least one of these matchers [{"have-len":2}]
-not ok 6 - Matching: basic_reader: matches: Expected "object: *strings.Reader" to have patterns ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"] the missing elements were ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
+not ok 6 - Matching: basic_reader: matches: Expected "foo bar\nmoo cow" to have patterns ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"] the missing elements were ["fox","/^t.*w$/","!foo","!/^foo/"]
 not ok 7 - Matching: basic_semver: matches: Expected "1.2.3" to satisfy at least one of these matchers [{"semver-constraint":">=9.9.0"}]
 not ok 8 - Matching: basic_string: matches: Expected "this is a test" to equal "this is a failing test"
 not ok 9 - Matching: basic_string_contain_substring: matches: Expected "foo" to contain substring "x"