diff --git a/src/vs/base/browser/htmlContentRenderer.ts b/src/vs/base/browser/htmlContentRenderer.ts
index 70c5972557c..6dd423dbec1 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/browser/htmlContentRenderer.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/browser/htmlContentRenderer.ts
@@ -35,13 +35,7 @@ export function renderMarkedString(markedString: MarkedString, options: RenderOp
 	// this is sort of legacy given that we have full
 	// support for markdown. Turn this into markdown
 	// and continue
-	let markdown: string;
-	if (typeof markedString === 'string') {
-		markdown = markedString;
-	} else {
-		markdown = '```' + markedString.language + '\n' + markedString.value + '\n```';
-	}
-	return renderMarkdown(markdown, options);
+	return renderMarkdown(markedString, options);
 }
 
 export function renderText(text: string, options: RenderOptions = {}): Node {
diff --git a/src/vs/base/common/htmlContent.ts b/src/vs/base/common/htmlContent.ts
index 4744495a169..5f2f9fbeba4 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/common/htmlContent.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/common/htmlContent.ts
@@ -5,61 +5,27 @@
 
 'use strict';
 
+import { equals } from 'vs/base/common/arrays';
+
 /**
  * MarkedString can be used to render human readable text. It is either a markdown string
  * or a code-block that provides a language and a code snippet. Note that
  * markdown strings will be sanitized - that means html will be escaped.
  */
-export type MarkedString = string | { readonly language: string; readonly value: string };
+export type MarkedString = string;
 
 export function markedStringsEquals(a: MarkedString | MarkedString[], b: MarkedString | MarkedString[]): boolean {
 	if (!a && !b) {
 		return true;
-	}
-	if (!a || !b) {
+	} else if (!a || !b) {
+		return false;
+	} else if (typeof a === 'string' && typeof b === 'string') {
+		return a === b;
+	} else if (Array.isArray(a) && Array.isArray(b)) {
+		return equals(a, b);
+	} else {
 		return false;
 	}
-
-	if (Array.isArray(a)) {
-		if (!Array.isArray(b)) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		return markedStringArrEquals(a, b);
-	}
-	return markedStringEqual(a, b as MarkedString);
-}
-
-
-function markedStringArrEquals(a: MarkedString[], b: MarkedString[]): boolean {
-	let aLen = a.length,
-		bLen = b.length;
-
-	if (aLen !== bLen) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	for (let i = 0; i < aLen; i++) {
-		if (!markedStringEqual(a[i], b[i])) {
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-
-	return true;
-}
-function markedStringEqual(a: MarkedString, b: MarkedString): boolean {
-	if (!a && !b) {
-		return true;
-	}
-	if (!a || !b) {
-		return false;
-	}
-	if (typeof a === 'string' || typeof b === 'string') {
-		return typeof a === 'string' && typeof b === 'string' && a === b;
-	}
-	return (
-		a.language === b.language
-		&& a.value === b.value
-	);
 }
 
 export function textToMarkedString(text: string): MarkedString {
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/services/modelServiceImpl.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/services/modelServiceImpl.ts
index 24040eb3e54..14e90ee2cfb 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/services/modelServiceImpl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/services/modelServiceImpl.ts
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ class ModelMarkerHandler {
 				}
 			}
 
-			hoverMessage = [{ language: '_', value: message }];
+			hoverMessage = ['```_\n' + message + '\n```'];
 		}
 
 		return {
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/goToDeclaration/browser/goToDeclarationMouse.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/goToDeclaration/browser/goToDeclarationMouse.ts
index 6a8718e202b..f78d1b59cef 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/goToDeclaration/browser/goToDeclarationMouse.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/goToDeclaration/browser/goToDeclarationMouse.ts
@@ -154,10 +154,10 @@ class GotoDefinitionWithMouseEditorContribution implements editorCommon.IEditorC
 					const previewRange = new Range(startLineNumber, 1, endLineNumber + 1, 1);
 					const value = textEditorModel.getValueInRange(previewRange).replace(new RegExp(`^\\s{${minIndent - 1}}`, 'gm'), '').trim();
 
-					this.addDecoration(new Range(position.lineNumber, word.startColumn, position.lineNumber, word.endColumn), {
-						language: this.modeService.getModeIdByFilenameOrFirstLine(textEditorModel.uri.fsPath),
-						value
-					});
+					this.addDecoration(
+						new Range(position.lineNumber, word.startColumn, position.lineNumber, word.endColumn),
+						'```' + this.modeService.getModeIdByFilenameOrFirstLine(textEditorModel.uri.fsPath) + '\n' + value + '\n```'
+					);
 					ref.dispose();
 				});
 			}
diff --git a/src/vs/monaco.d.ts b/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
index 97c8a13a94d..bdc79c091ab 100644
--- a/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
@@ -358,10 +358,7 @@ declare module monaco {
 	 * or a code-block that provides a language and a code snippet. Note that
 	 * markdown strings will be sanitized - that means html will be escaped.
 	 */
-	export type MarkedString = string | {
-		readonly language: string;
-		readonly value: string;
-	};
+	export type MarkedString = string;
 
 	export interface IKeyboardEvent {
 		readonly browserEvent: KeyboardEvent;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTypeConverters.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTypeConverters.ts
index 86353877593..a0ea9970792 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTypeConverters.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostTypeConverters.ts
@@ -143,12 +143,23 @@ function isDecorationOptionsArr(something: vscode.Range[] | vscode.DecorationOpt
 	return isDecorationOptions(something[0]) ? true : false;
 }
 
+export namespace MarkedString {
+	export function from(markup: vscode.MarkedString): string {
+		if (typeof markup === 'string' || !markup) {
+			return <string>markup;
+		} else {
+			const { language, value } = markup;
+			return '```' + language + '\n' + value + '\n```';
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 export function fromRangeOrRangeWithMessage(ranges: vscode.Range[] | vscode.DecorationOptions[]): IDecorationOptions[] {
 	if (isDecorationOptionsArr(ranges)) {
 		return ranges.map((r): IDecorationOptions => {
 			return {
 				range: fromRange(r.range),
-				hoverMessage: r.hoverMessage,
+				hoverMessage: Array.isArray(r.hoverMessage) ? r.hoverMessage.map(MarkedString.from) : MarkedString.from(r.hoverMessage),
 				renderOptions: <any> /* URI vs Uri */r.renderOptions
 			};
 		});
@@ -256,7 +267,7 @@ export const location = {
 export function fromHover(hover: vscode.Hover): modes.Hover {
 	return <modes.Hover>{
 		range: fromRange(hover.range),
-		contents: hover.contents
+		contents: hover.contents.map(MarkedString.from)
 	};
 }