diff --git a/icu4c/source/data/brkitr/sent.txt b/icu4c/source/data/brkitr/sent.txt
index 4f5449c7197..efb5a000c07 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/data/brkitr/sent.txt
+++ b/icu4c/source/data/brkitr/sent.txt
@@ -78,31 +78,75 @@ $EndSequence       = $InteriorChars* $SepSeq?;
 
 !!reverse;
  
-#
-#  Reverse Rules
-#
-$EndGorp                  = ($Term | $ATerm | $Sep | $Close | $Extend | $Format | $Sp);
-$RevEndSequence           = $EndGorp* $InteriorChars* $EndGorp* | $Sep [^$ATerm $Term]*;
-$ReverseLowerWordFollows  = $Lower [^$OLetter $Upper $Lower $Sep]* $ATerm $InteriorChars*;
-$ReverseUpperSurround     = $Upper $Format* $Extend* $ATerm $Format* $Extend* $Upper $InteriorChars*;
-$ReverseNumberFollows     = $Numeric $Format* $Extend* $ATerm $InteriorChars*;
+# rule 6
 
-$RevEndSequence ($ReverseLowerWordFollows | $ReverseUpperSurround | $ReverseNumberFollows)* .?;
+$RULE6 = $Numeric $Format* $Extend* $ATerm;
+
+# rule 7
+
+$RULE7 = $Upper $Format* $Extend* $ATerm $Format* $Extend* $Upper;
+
+# rule 8
+
+$RULE8 = $Lower ($Format* $Extend* [^$OLetter $Upper $Lower $Sep])* 
+             ($Format* $Extend* $Sp)* ($Format* $Extend* $Close)*
+             $Format* $Extend* $ATerm;
+
+# rule 9, 10, 11
+
+# $CR $LF
+$End = $Sep | \u000a\u000d
+       | $Format* $Extend* $Sp* $Format* $Extend* $Close* $Format* 
+		 $Extend* ($Term | $ATerm)
+	   | $Sep $Format* $Extend* $Sp* $Format* $Extend* $Close* $Format* 
+		 $Extend* ($Term | $ATerm);
+	
+# rule 12
+
+$RULE12 = [^$Sep $Term $ATerm];
+
+$Join = ($RULE6 | $RULE7 | $RULE8 | $RULE12)*;
+
+$End;
+
+$End? $Join [$RULE12 - $Sp - $Close];
+
+# forces a break at the beginning of text "$Sp blah blah blah"
+# remember the break iterators takes the longest match
+$End? $Join $Sp / [^$Term $ATerm $Sp $Close];
+
+# forces a break at the beginning of text "$Close blah blah blah"
+$End? $Join $Close / [^$Term $ATerm $Close];
 
 ## -------------------------------------------------
 
-## !!safe_reverse;
+!!safe_reverse;
+
+# rule 4
+$Extend+ [^$Extend];
  
 # rule 7
-## $Extend* $ATerm $Format* $Extend* $Upper;
+$Extend* $ATerm $Format* $Extend* $Upper;
+
+# rule 8
+($Extend* $Term)+ ($Extend* $Sp $Format*)* ($Extend* $Close $Format*)* $Extend* $ATerm;
 
 # rule 11
-## ($Extend* $Sp $Format*)* ($Extend* $Close $Format*)* $Extend* ($Term | $ATerm);
+($Extend* $Sp $Format*)* ($Extend* $Close $Format*)*;
+($Extend* $Sp $Format*)* ($Extend* $Close $Format*)* $Extend* ($Term | $ATerm);
 
 ## -------------------------------------------------
 
 !!safe_forward;
 
+# rule 7
+
+$ATerm $Extend* $Format* $Upper;
+
 # rule 8
 
-## $Lower .;
+$Lower .;
+
+# rule 11
+
+($Close $Extend* $Format*)* ($Sp $Extend* $Format*)*;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/rbbitst.cpp b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/rbbitst.cpp
index b6952473bc7..51271ed649a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/rbbitst.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/rbbitst.cpp
@@ -3273,7 +3273,9 @@ void RBBITest::TestSentBreaks(void)
     BreakIterator *bi = BreakIterator::createSentenceInstance(locale, status);
     UChar         str[100]; 
     char          *strlist[] = 
-    {"This\n",
+    {
+     "Now\ris\nthe\r\ntime\n\rfor\r\r",
+     "This\n",
      "Hello! how are you? I'am fine. Thankyou. How are you doing? This\n costs $20,00,000.",
      "\"Sentence ending with a quote.\" Bye.",
      "  (This is it).  Testing the sentence iterator. \"This isn't it.\"", 
@@ -3295,19 +3297,7 @@ void RBBITest::TestSentBreaks(void)
         for (i = bi->first(); i != BreakIterator::DONE; i = bi->next()) {
             forward[count ++] = i;
         }
-        int tempcount = count;
-        for (i = bi->last(); i != BreakIterator::DONE; i = bi->previous()) {
-            tempcount --;
-            if (forward[tempcount] != i) {
-                printStringBreaks(ustr, forward, count);
-                errln("happy break test reverse failed: expected %d but got %d", 
-                      forward[tempcount], i);
-                break;
-            }
-        }
-        if (tempcount != 0) {
-            errln("happy break test failed: missed a match");
-        }
+        testBreakBoundPreceding(this, ustr, bi, forward, count);
     }
 }