-one that consists only of white space or comments, also ends a command
-by default, although you can use the NULLINE subcommand of @cmd{SET}
-to disable this feature (@pxref{SET}).
-
-In batch mode only, that is, when reading commands from a file instead
-of an interactive user, any line that contains a non-space character
-in the leftmost column begins a new command. Thus, each command
-consists of a flush-left line followed by any number of lines indented
-from the left margin. In this mode, a plus or minus sign
-(@samp{+}, @samp{@minus{}}) as the first character
-in a line is ignored and causes that line to begin a new command,
-which allows for visual indentation of a command without that command
-being considered part of the previous command.
-
-@node Types of Commands, Order of Commands, Commands, Language
+one that consists only of white space or comments, also ends a command.
+
+@node Syntax Variants
+@section Syntax Variants
+
+@cindex Batch syntax
+@cindex Interactive syntax
+
+There are three variants of command syntax, which vary only in how
+they detect the end of one command and the start of the next.
+
+In @dfn{interactive mode}, which is the default for syntax typed at a
+command prompt, a period as the last non-blank character on a line
+ends a command. A blank line also ends a command.
+
+In @dfn{batch mode}, an end-of-line period or a blank line also ends a
+command. Additionally, it treats any line that has a non-blank
+character in the leftmost column as beginning a new command. Thus, in
+batch mode the second and subsequent lines in a command must be
+indented.
+
+Regardless of the syntax mode, a plus sign, minus sign, or period in
+the leftmost column of a line is ignored and causes that line to begin
+a new command. This is most useful in batch mode, in which the first
+line of a new command could not otherwise be indented, but it is
+accepted regardless of syntax mode.
+
+The default mode for reading commands from a file is @dfn{auto mode}.
+It is the same as batch mode, except that a line with a non-blank in
+the leftmost column only starts a new command if that line begins with
+the name of a PSPP command. This correctly interprets most valid PSPP
+syntax files regardless of the syntax mode for which they are
+intended.
+
+The @option{--interactive} (or @option{-i}) or @option{--batch} (or
+@option{-b}) options set the syntax mode for files listed on the PSPP
+command line. @xref{Main Options}, for more details.
+
+@node Types of Commands