-"additions to HTML groups
-"syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\ze[^\\\*\t ]" end="[^\\\*\t ]\zs\*\ze\_W" keepend
-"syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs_\ze[^\\_\t ]" end="[^\\_\t ]\zs_\ze\_W" keepend
-"syn region htmlBold start="\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*" keepend
-"syn region htmlBold start="__\ze\S" end="\S\zs__" keepend
-"syn region htmlBoldItalic start="\*\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*\*" keepend
-"syn region htmlBoldItalic start="___\ze\S" end="\S\zs___" keepend
-
-" emphasis stops at newline (in case a closing token is not found before)
-"if get(g:, "vim_markdown_emphasis_stops_at_newline", 1)
-" let esanl_pre = '\(\n\|'
-" let esanl_suf = '\)'
-"else
-" let esanl_pre = ''
-" let esanl_suf = ''
-"endif
-"execute 'syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\ze[^\\\*\t ]" end="[^\\\*\t ]\zs' . esanl_pre . '\*' . esanl_suf . '\ze\_W" keepend'
-"execute 'syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs_\ze[^\\_\t ]" end="[^\\_\t ]\zs' . esanl_pre . '_' . esanl_suf . '\ze\_W" keepend'
-"execute 'syn region htmlBold start="\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs' . esanl_pre . '\*\*' . esanl_suf . '" keepend'
-"execute 'syn region htmlBold start="__\ze\S" end="\S\zs__" keepend
-"execute 'syn region htmlBoldItalic start="\*\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*\*" keepend
-"execute 'syn region htmlBoldItalic start="___\ze\S" end="\S\zs___" keepend
-
-" single-line emphasis (emphasis only works with matching token in the same line)
-syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\ze[^\\\*\t ]\([^\n]*[^\\\*\t ]\)\?\*" end="[^\\\*\t ]\zs\*\ze\_W" keepend
-
+" additions to HTML groups
+if get(g:, 'vim_markdown_emphasis_multiline', 1)
+ let s:oneline = ''
+else
+ let s:oneline = ' oneline'
+endif
+execute 'syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\ze[^\\\*\t ]\%(\%([^*]\|\\\*\|\n\)*[^\\\*\t ]\)\?\*\_W" end="[^\\\*\t ]\zs\*\ze\_W" keepend' . s:oneline
+execute 'syn region htmlItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs_\ze[^\\_\t ]" end="[^\\_\t ]\zs_\ze\_W" keepend' . s:oneline
+execute 'syn region htmlBold start="\%(^\|\s\)\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*" keepend' . s:oneline
+execute 'syn region htmlBold start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs__\ze\S" end="\S\zs__" keepend' . s:oneline
+execute 'syn region htmlBoldItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs\*\*\*\ze\S" end="\S\zs\*\*\*" keepend' . s:oneline
+execute 'syn region htmlBoldItalic start="\%(^\|\s\)\zs___\ze\S" end="\S\zs___" keepend' . s:oneline