-In free format, the input data is structured as a series of comma- or
-whitespace-delimited fields (end of line is one form of whitespace; it
-is not treated specially). Field contents may be surrounded by matched
-pairs of apostrophes (@samp{'}) or quotes (@samp{"}), or they may be
-unenclosed. For any type of field leading white space (up to the
-apostrophe or quote, if any) is not included in the field.
-
-Multiple consecutive delimiters are equivalent to a single delimiter.
-To specify an empty field, write an empty set of single or double
-quotes; for instance, @samp{""}.
+In free format, the input data is, by default, structured as a series
+of fields separated by spaces, tabs, commas, or line breaks. Each
+field's content may be unquoted, or it may be quoted with a pairs of
+apostrophes (@samp{'}) or double quotes (@samp{"}). Unquoted white
+space separates fields but is not part of any field. Any mix of
+spaces, tabs, and line breaks is equivalent to a single space for the
+purpose of separating fields, but consecutive commas will skip a
+field.
+
+Alternatively, delimiters can be specified explicitly, as a
+parenthesized, comma-separated list of single-character strings
+immediately following FREE. The word TAB may also be used to specify
+a tab character as a delimiter. When delimiters are specified
+explicitly, only the given characters, plus line breaks, separate
+fields. Furthermore, leading spaces at the beginnings of fields are
+not trimmed, consecutive delimiters define empty fields, and no form
+of quoting is allowed.