diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 56f4b36..9bbc0b0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ List of all available rules. The rules ported from `golint` are left unchanged a
 | [`cognitive-complexity`](./RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md#cognitive-complexity)          |  int   | Sets restriction for maximum Cognitive complexity.              |    no    |  no   |
 | [`string-of-int`](./RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md#string-of-int)          |  n/a   | Warns on suspicious casts from int to string            |    no    |  yes   |
 | [`string-format`](./RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md#string-format)          |  map   | Warns on specific string literals that fail one or more user-configured regular expressions            |    no    |  no   |
-| [`early-return`](./RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md#early-return)          |  n/a   | Spots if-then-else statements that can be refactored to simplify code reading            |    no    |  no   |
+| [`early-return`](./RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md#early-return)          |  n/a   | Spots if-then-else statements where the predicate may be inverted to reduce nesting |    no    |  no   |
 | [`unconditional-recursion`](./RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md#unconditional-recursion)          |  n/a   | Warns on function calls that will lead to (direct) infinite recursion |    no    |  no   |
 | [`identical-branches`](./RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md#identical-branches)          |  n/a   | Spots if-then-else statements with identical `then` and `else` branches       |    no    |  no   |
 | [`defer`](./RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md#defer)          |  map   |  Warns on some [defer gotchas](https://blog.learngoprogramming.com/5-gotchas-of-defer-in-go-golang-part-iii-36a1ab3d6ef1)       |    no    |  no   |
diff --git a/RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md b/RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md
index 986ba7a..3865f86 100644
--- a/RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md
+++ b/RULES_DESCRIPTIONS.md
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ _Configuration_: N/A
 
 ## early-return
 
-_Description_: In GO it is idiomatic to minimize nesting statements, a typical example is to avoid if-then-else constructions. This rule spots constructions like
+_Description_: In Go it is idiomatic to minimize nesting statements, a typical example is to avoid if-then-else constructions. This rule spots constructions like
 ```go
 if cond {
   // do something
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ if cond {
   return ...
 }
 ```
-that can be rewritten into more idiomatic:
+where the `if` condition may be inverted in order to reduce nesting:
 ```go
 if ! cond {
   // do other thing
diff --git a/rule/early-return.go b/rule/early-return.go
index bfbf671..ed0fcfa 100644
--- a/rule/early-return.go
+++ b/rule/early-return.go
@@ -1,12 +1,15 @@
 package rule
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"go/ast"
+	"go/token"
 
 	"github.com/mgechev/revive/lint"
 )
 
-// EarlyReturnRule lints given else constructs.
+// EarlyReturnRule finds opportunities to reduce nesting by inverting
+// the condition of an "if" block.
 type EarlyReturnRule struct{}
 
 // Apply applies the rule to given file.
@@ -32,47 +35,142 @@ type lintEarlyReturnRule struct {
 }
 
 func (w lintEarlyReturnRule) Visit(node ast.Node) ast.Visitor {
-	switch n := node.(type) {
+	ifStmt, ok := node.(*ast.IfStmt)
+	if !ok {
+		return w
+	}
+
+	w.visitIf(ifStmt, false, false)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (w lintEarlyReturnRule) visitIf(ifStmt *ast.IfStmt, hasNonReturnBranch, hasIfInitializer bool) {
+	// look for other if-else chains nested inside this if { } block
+	ast.Walk(w, ifStmt.Body)
+
+	if ifStmt.Else == nil {
+		// no else branch
+		return
+	}
+
+	if as, ok := ifStmt.Init.(*ast.AssignStmt); ok && as.Tok == token.DEFINE {
+		hasIfInitializer = true
+	}
+	bodyFlow := w.branchFlow(ifStmt.Body)
+
+	switch elseBlock := ifStmt.Else.(type) {
 	case *ast.IfStmt:
-		if n.Else == nil {
-			// no else branch
-			return w
+		if bodyFlow.canFlowIntoNext() {
+			hasNonReturnBranch = true
+		}
+		w.visitIf(elseBlock, hasNonReturnBranch, hasIfInitializer)
+
+	case *ast.BlockStmt:
+		// look for other if-else chains nested inside this else { } block
+		ast.Walk(w, elseBlock)
+
+		if hasNonReturnBranch && bodyFlow != branchFlowEmpty {
+			// if we de-indent this block then a previous branch
+			// might flow into it, affecting program behaviour
+			return
 		}
 
-		elseBlock, ok := n.Else.(*ast.BlockStmt)
-		if !ok {
-			// is if-else-if
-			return w
+		if !bodyFlow.canFlowIntoNext() {
+			// avoid overlapping with superfluous-else
+			return
 		}
 
-		lenElseBlock := len(elseBlock.List)
-		if lenElseBlock < 1 {
-			// empty else block, continue (there is another rule that warns on empty blocks)
-			return w
-		}
+		elseFlow := w.branchFlow(elseBlock)
+		if !elseFlow.canFlowIntoNext() {
+			failMsg := fmt.Sprintf("if c {%[1]s } else {%[2]s } can be simplified to if !c {%[2]s }%[1]s",
+				bodyFlow, elseFlow)
+
+			if hasIfInitializer {
+				// if statement has a := initializer, so we might need to move the assignment
+				// onto its own line in case the body references it
+				failMsg += " (move short variable declaration to its own line if necessary)"
+			}
 
-		lenThenBlock := len(n.Body.List)
-		if lenThenBlock < 1 {
-			// then block is empty thus the stmt can be simplified
 			w.onFailure(lint.Failure{
 				Confidence: 1,
-				Node:       n,
-				Failure:    "if c { } else {... return} can be simplified to if !c { ... return }",
+				Node:       ifStmt,
+				Failure:    failMsg,
 			})
-
-			return w
 		}
 
-		_, lastThenStmtIsReturn := n.Body.List[lenThenBlock-1].(*ast.ReturnStmt)
-		_, lastElseStmtIsReturn := elseBlock.List[lenElseBlock-1].(*ast.ReturnStmt)
-		if lastElseStmtIsReturn && !lastThenStmtIsReturn {
-			w.onFailure(lint.Failure{
-				Confidence: 1,
-				Node:       n,
-				Failure:    "if c {...} else {... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } ...",
-			})
+	default:
+		panic("invalid node type for else")
+	}
+}
+
+type branchFlowKind int
+
+const (
+	branchFlowEmpty branchFlowKind = iota
+	branchFlowReturn
+	branchFlowPanic
+	branchFlowContinue
+	branchFlowBreak
+	branchFlowGoto
+	branchFlowRegular
+)
+
+func (w lintEarlyReturnRule) branchFlow(block *ast.BlockStmt) branchFlowKind {
+	blockLen := len(block.List)
+	if blockLen == 0 {
+		return branchFlowEmpty
+	}
+
+	switch stmt := block.List[blockLen-1].(type) {
+	case *ast.ReturnStmt:
+		return branchFlowReturn
+	case *ast.BlockStmt:
+		return w.branchFlow(stmt)
+	case *ast.BranchStmt:
+		switch stmt.Tok {
+		case token.BREAK:
+			return branchFlowBreak
+		case token.CONTINUE:
+			return branchFlowContinue
+		case token.GOTO:
+			return branchFlowGoto
+		}
+	case *ast.ExprStmt:
+		if call, ok := stmt.X.(*ast.CallExpr); ok && isIdent(call.Fun, "panic") {
+			return branchFlowPanic
 		}
 	}
 
-	return w
+	return branchFlowRegular
+}
+
+// Whether this branch's control can flow into the next statement following the if-else chain
+func (k branchFlowKind) canFlowIntoNext() bool {
+	switch k {
+	case branchFlowReturn, branchFlowPanic, branchFlowContinue, branchFlowBreak, branchFlowGoto:
+		return false
+	default:
+		return true
+	}
+}
+
+func (k branchFlowKind) String() string {
+	switch k {
+	case branchFlowEmpty:
+		return ""
+	case branchFlowReturn:
+		return " ... return"
+	case branchFlowPanic:
+		return " ... panic()"
+	case branchFlowContinue:
+		return " ... continue"
+	case branchFlowBreak:
+		return " ... break"
+	case branchFlowGoto:
+		return " ... goto"
+	case branchFlowRegular:
+		return " ..."
+	default:
+		panic("invalid kind")
+	}
 }
diff --git a/testdata/early-return.go b/testdata/early-return.go
index bb4b8f2..212b6c9 100644
--- a/testdata/early-return.go
+++ b/testdata/early-return.go
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 package fixtures
 
 func earlyRet() bool {
-	if cond { //   MATCH /if c {...} else {... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
+	if cond { //   MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
 		println()
 		println()
 		println()
@@ -11,27 +11,28 @@ func earlyRet() bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	if cond { //MATCH /if c {...} else {... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
+	if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
 		println()
 	} else {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	if cond { //MATCH /if c { } else {... return} can be simplified to if !c { ... return }/
+	if cond { //MATCH /if c { } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return }/
 	} else {
 		return false
 	}
 
 	if cond {
 		println()
-	} else if cond { //MATCH /if c { } else {... return} can be simplified to if !c { ... return }/
+	} else if cond { //MATCH /if c { } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return }/
 	} else {
 		return false
 	}
 
+	// the first branch does not return, so we can't reduce nesting here
 	if cond {
 		println()
-	} else if cond { //MATCH /if c {...} else {... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
+	} else if cond {
 		println()
 	} else {
 		return false
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ func earlyRet() bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	if cond { //MATCH /if c {...} else {... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
+	if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
 		println()
 		println()
 		println()
@@ -59,4 +60,68 @@ func earlyRet() bool {
 	} else {
 		println()
 	}
+
+	if cond {
+		if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
+			println()
+		} else {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+
+	if cond {
+		println()
+	} else {
+		if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
+			println()
+		} else {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+
+	if cond {
+		println()
+	} else if cond {
+		println()
+	} else {
+		if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } .../
+			println()
+		} else {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+
+	for {
+		if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... continue } can be simplified to if !c { ... continue } .../
+			println()
+		} else {
+			continue
+		}
+	}
+
+	for {
+		if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... break } can be simplified to if !c { ... break } .../
+			println()
+		} else {
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... panic() } can be simplified to if !c { ... panic() } .../
+		println()
+	} else {
+		panic("!")
+	}
+
+	if cond { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... goto } can be simplified to if !c { ... goto } .../
+		println()
+	} else {
+		goto X
+	}
+
+	if x, ok := foo(); ok { //MATCH /if c { ... } else { ... return } can be simplified to if !c { ... return } ... (move short variable declaration to its own line if necessary)/
+		println(x)
+	} else {
+		return false
+	}
 }