diff --git a/collects/scribble/text/textlang.ss b/collects/scribble/text/textlang.ss
index 66d37dec..cece9a17 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/text/textlang.ss
+++ b/collects/scribble/text/textlang.ss
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 (provide (except-out (all-from-out scheme/base) #%module-begin)
          (rename-out [module-begin #%module-begin])
-         (except-out (all-from-out scheme/promise "../text.ss") #%module-begin))
+         (all-from-out scheme/promise "../text.ss"))
 
 (begin-for-syntax
   (define definition-ids ; ids that don't require forcing
@@ -18,28 +18,82 @@
   (define (newline-stx? stx)
     (let ([p (syntax-property stx 'scribble)])
       (and (pair? p) (eq? (car p) 'newline))))
-  (define swallow-newlines? #t))
-
-;; use `swallow-newlines?' for state, to get rid of newlines that follow
-;; definition expressions (must do that, since we need to expand expressions
-;; one-by-one, so #%module-begin will do its job) -- this relies on
-;; left-to-right macro expansion.
+  ;; This function is used to group a syntax list into triplets of consecutive
+  ;; scribble indentation syntaxes, an input expression, and scribble newlines.
+  ;; It is used to ignore indentations before a definition and newlines after
+  ;; it.  See the following test cases for how it works.
+  (define (group-by pred? xs fun)
+    (let loop ([xs xs] [before '()] [cur #f] [after '()] [r '()])
+      (define (add) (cons (fun (reverse before) cur (reverse after)) r))
+      (if (null? xs)
+        (reverse (if (or cur (pair? before) (pair? after)) (add) r))
+        (let* ([x (car xs)] [xs (cdr xs)] [p (pred? x)])
+          (cond [(eq? '> p) (loop xs before cur (cons x after) r)]
+                [(eq? '< p) (if (or cur (pair? after))
+                              (loop xs (list x) #f '() (add))
+                              (loop xs (cons x before) cur after r))]
+                [(or cur (pair? after)) (loop xs '() x '() (add))]
+                [else (loop xs before x '() r)])))))
+  (define (group-stxs stxs fun)
+    (group-by (lambda (stx)
+                (let ([p (syntax-property stx 'scribble)])
+                  (cond [(and (pair? p) (eq? (car p) 'newline)) '>]
+                        [(eq? 'indentation p) '<]
+                        [else #f])))
+              stxs fun))
+  #; ; tests for this
+  (for-each
+   (lambda (t)
+     (let ([r (group-by (lambda (x)
+                          (cond [(number? x) '<] [(symbol? x) '>] [else #f]))
+                        (car t)
+                        list)])
+       (unless (equal? r (cadr t)) (printf "FAILURE: ~s -> ~s\n" (car t) r))))
+   '([() ()]
+     [("a") ((() "a" ()))]
+     [("a" "b") ((() "a" ()) (() "b" ()))]
+     [(1 "a" x) (((1) "a" (x)))]
+     [(1 2 3 "a" x y z) (((1 2 3) "a" (x y z)))]
+     [(1 2 3 "a" "b" x y z) (((1 2 3) "a" ()) (() "b" (x y z)))]
+     [(1 2 "a" x 3 "b" y z) (((1 2) "a" (x)) ((3) "b" (y z)))]
+     [(1 2 "a" 3 "b" y z) (((1 2) "a" ()) ((3) "b" (y z)))]
+     [(1 2 "a" 3 x "b" y z) (((1 2) "a" ()) ((3) #f (x)) (() "b" (y z)))]
+     [(1 2 "a" 3 4 x "b" y z) (((1 2) "a" ()) ((3 4) #f (x)) (() "b" (y z)))]
+     [(1 2 "a" 3 w x "b" y z) (((1 2) "a" ()) ((3) #f (w x)) (() "b" (y z)))]
+     [(1) (((1) #f ()))]
+     [(x) ((() #f (x)))]
+     [(1 2 3) (((1 2 3) #f ()))]
+     [(x y z) ((() #f (x y z)))]
+     [(1 2 3 x y z) (((1 2 3) #f (x y z)))]
+     [(1 x 2 y 3 z) (((1) #f (x)) ((2) #f (y)) ((3) #f (z)))]
+     [(1 x y 2 3 z) (((1) #f (x y)) ((2 3) #f (z)))]
+     [(1 2 x 3) (((1 2) #f (x)) ((3) #f ()))]
+     [(w x 3 y z) ((() #f (w x)) ((3) #f (y z)))])))
 
 (define-syntax (toplevel-decorate stx)
   (let ([context (syntax-local-context)])
     (syntax-case stx ()
-      [(this expr)
+      [(this pre expr post)
        (let ([expr* (local-expand #'expr context stoplist)])
          (syntax-case expr* (begin)
-           [(begin x ...) #'(begin (this x) ...)]
-           [(id . rest) (definition-id? #'id)
-            (begin (set! swallow-newlines? #t) expr*)]
-           [_ (if (and swallow-newlines? (newline-stx? expr*))
-                #'(begin)
-                (begin (set! swallow-newlines? #f) #`(output #,expr*)))]))])))
+           ;; perhaps we should dig inside for more pre/posts
+           [(begin x ...) #'(begin pre (this x) ... post)]
+           ;; dump pre/post
+           [(id . rest) (definition-id? #'id) expr*]
+           [_ #`(begin pre (output #,expr*) post)]))])))
 
 (define-syntax (module-begin stx)
+  (define (process-body body)
+    (group-stxs
+     (syntax->list body)
+     (lambda (pre expr post)
+       (if (not expr) ; no need to decorate these
+         (with-syntax ([(x ...) (append pre post)]) #`(output '(x ...)))
+         (with-syntax ([pre  (if (null? pre)  #'(begin) #`(output '#,pre))]
+                       [post (if (null? post) #'(begin) #`(output '#,post))])
+           #`(toplevel-decorate pre #,expr post))))))
   (syntax-case stx ()
     [(_ expr ...)
-     (begin (set! swallow-newlines? #t) ; not really necessary
-            #'(#%module-begin (toplevel-decorate expr) ...))]))
+     ;; add a dummy define and throw it away, to get rid of initial newlines
+     (with-syntax ([(_ expr ...) (process-body #'((define) expr ...))])
+       #'(#%module-begin expr ...))]))