diff --git a/collects/scribble/reader.ss b/collects/scribble/reader.ss
index f8f5707da4..1833327c32 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/reader.ss
+++ b/collects/scribble/reader.ss
@@ -391,10 +391,12 @@
         (let*-values ([(line col pos) (port-next-location inp)]
                       [(xs) (get)])
           (cond [(not xs) xs]
-                [(null? xs) (make-special-comment #f)]
-                [(null? (cdr xs)) (car xs)]
-                [else (read-error line col pos
-                                  "too many escape expressions")]))
+                [(or (null? xs) (not (null? (cdr xs))))
+                 (read-error line col pos
+                             "a ~a|...| form in Scheme mode must have ~a"
+                             ch:command
+                             "exactly one escaped expression")]
+                [else (car xs)]))
         (get))))
 
   ;; called only when we must see a command in the input
diff --git a/collects/tests/scribble/reader.ss b/collects/tests/scribble/reader.ss
index 6700f8700b..43755b7773 100644
--- a/collects/tests/scribble/reader.ss
+++ b/collects/tests/scribble/reader.ss
@@ -636,6 +636,22 @@ bar}
 ---
 \foo{\" -\error-> #rx":1:6: read: expected a closing '\"'$"
 ---
+@|1 2|
+-@error->
+#rx"a @|...| form in Scheme mode must have exactly one escaped expression"
+---
+@||
+-@error->
+#rx"a @|...| form in Scheme mode must have exactly one escaped expression"
+---
+\|1 2|
+-\error->
+#rx"a \\\\|...| form in Scheme mode must have exactly one escaped expression"
+---
+\||
+-\error->
+#rx"a \\\\|...| form in Scheme mode must have exactly one escaped expression"
+---
 ;; -------------------- inside-reader
 ---
 foo bar baz  -@i->  "foo bar baz"