diff --git a/mode/sh.py b/mode/sh.py
index 0b84169..fcaf7dd 100644
--- a/mode/sh.py
+++ b/mode/sh.py
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ class ShGrammar(Grammar):
         PatternRule(r'delimiter', r";;|[\[\]\(\);\{\}|&><]"),
         RegionRule(r'eval', '`', StringGrammar, '`'),
         RegionRule(r'neval', r'\$\(', StringGrammar, r'\)'),
-        PatternRule(r'variable', r"(?:^|(?<= ))[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_]*(?==)"),
+        PatternRule(r'variable', r"(?:^|(?<= ))[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_]*(?==)"),
         PatternRule(r'variable', r"\${(?:[a-zA-Z0-9_]+|\?\$)}"),
         PatternRule(r"variable", r"\$[^({][a-zA-Z0-9_]*"),
         PatternRule(r'variable', r"\$(?=\()"),
-        RegionRule(r'string', "'", Grammar(), "'"),
+        RegionRule(r'string', "'", Grammar, "'"),
         RegionRule(r'string', '"', StringGrammar, '"'),
         PatternRule(r'comment', r'#.*$'),
         PatternRule(r'bareword', r'[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+'),
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ class Sh(mode2.Fundamental):
 
         'string.start':    ('green', 'default'),
         'string.variable': ('yellow', 'default'),
+        'string.escaped':  ('magenta', 'default'),
         'string.null':     ('green', 'default'),
         'string.end':      ('green', 'default'),