diff --git a/src/vs/base/common/htmlContent.ts b/src/vs/base/common/htmlContent.ts
index f047d7effce603a8b7a936f6ea7e913f61cb69a1..c9a546c36965e44cc8fd868fb24b8fce6dc27852 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/common/htmlContent.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/common/htmlContent.ts
@@ -33,15 +33,11 @@ export class MarkdownString implements IMarkdownString {
 	}
 
 	appendText(value: string): this {
-		this.value += textToMarkedString(value);
+		// escape markdown syntax tokens: http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax#backslash
+		this.value += value.replace(/[\\`*_{}[\]()#+\-.!]/g, '\\$&');
 		return this;
 	}
 
-	// appendMarkdown(value: string): this {
-	// 	this.value += value;
-	// 	return this;
-	// }
-
 	appendCodeblock(langId: string, code: string): this {
 		this.value += '```';
 		this.value += langId;
@@ -76,10 +72,6 @@ function markdownStringEqual(a: IMarkdownString, b: IMarkdownString): boolean {
 	}
 }
 
-export function textToMarkedString(text: string): string {
-	return text.replace(/[\\`*_{}[\]()#+\-.!]/g, '\\$&'); // escape markdown syntax tokens: http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax#backslash
-}
-
 export function removeMarkdownEscapes(text: string): string {
 	if (!text) {
 		return text;
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/services/modelServiceImpl.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/services/modelServiceImpl.ts
index 20565a52a3f042d0b8c18351a7fddbce42740af4..d09a2f657cd82adba34f8c576f28da539ed19f60 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/services/modelServiceImpl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/services/modelServiceImpl.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import * as nls from 'vs/nls';
 import network = require('vs/base/common/network');
 import Event, { Emitter } from 'vs/base/common/event';
 import { EmitterEvent } from 'vs/base/common/eventEmitter';
-import { IMarkdownString } from 'vs/base/common/htmlContent';
+import { MarkdownString } from 'vs/base/common/htmlContent';
 import { IDisposable } from 'vs/base/common/lifecycle';
 import Severity from 'vs/base/common/severity';
 import URI from 'vs/base/common/uri';
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ class ModelMarkerHandler {
 				break;
 		}
 
-		let hoverMessage: IMarkdownString = null;
+		let hoverMessage: MarkdownString = null;
 		let { message, source } = marker;
 
 		if (typeof message === 'string') {
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ class ModelMarkerHandler {
 				}
 			}
 
-			hoverMessage = { value: '```_\n' + message + '\n```' };
+			hoverMessage = new MarkdownString().appendCodeblock('_', message);
 		}
 
 		return {