diff --git a/lib/ansible/cli/adhoc.py b/lib/ansible/cli/adhoc.py
index 862bfd107d6..66dfa8afafd 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/cli/adhoc.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/cli/adhoc.py
@@ -76,8 +76,7 @@ class AdHocCLI(CLI):
 
         if len(self.args) < 1:
             raise AnsibleOptionsError("Missing target hosts")
-
-        if len(self.args) > 1:
+        elif len(self.args) > 1:
             raise AnsibleOptionsError("Extranous options or arguments")
 
         display.verbosity = self.options.verbosity