diff --git a/lib/events.js b/lib/events.js
index fa680ad455..6b422d1b9a 100644
--- a/lib/events.js
+++ b/lib/events.js
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 exports.EventEmitter = process.EventEmitter;
 
+var isArray = Array.isArray;
 
 process.EventEmitter.prototype.emit = function (type) {
   // If there is no 'error' event listener then throw.
   if (type === 'error') {
     if (!this._events || !this._events.error ||
-        (this._events.error instanceof Array && !this._events.error.length))
+        (isArray(this._events.error) && !this._events.error.length))
     {
       if (arguments[1] instanceof Error) {
         throw arguments[1];
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ process.EventEmitter.prototype.emit = function (type) {
     }
     return true;
 
-  } else if (this._events[type] instanceof Array) {
+  } else if (isArray(this._events[type])) {
     var args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 1);
 
 
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ process.EventEmitter.prototype.addListener = function (type, listener) {
   if (!this._events[type]) {
     // Optimize the case of one listener. Don't need the extra array object.
     this._events[type] = listener;
-  } else if (this._events[type] instanceof Array) {
+  } else if (isArray(this._events[type])) {
     // If we've already got an array, just append.
     this._events[type].push(listener);
   } else {
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@ process.EventEmitter.prototype.removeListener = function (type, listener) {
 
   var list = this._events[type];
 
-  if (list instanceof Array) {
+  if (isArray(list)) {
     var i = list.indexOf(listener);
     if (i < 0) return this;
     list.splice(i, 1);
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ process.EventEmitter.prototype.removeAllListeners = function (type) {
 process.EventEmitter.prototype.listeners = function (type) {
   if (!this._events) this._events = {};
   if (!this._events[type]) this._events[type] = [];
-  if (!(this._events[type] instanceof Array)) {
+  if (!isArray(this._events[type])) {
     this._events[type] = [this._events[type]];
   }
   return this._events[type];