diff --git a/classes/base.lua b/classes/base.lua
index ac6405bc6..349395919 100644
--- a/classes/base.lua
+++ b/classes/base.lua
@@ -696,16 +696,18 @@ end
 
 -- WARNING: not called as class method
 function class.endPar (typesetter)
+   -- If we're already explicitly out of hmode don't do anything special in the way of skips or indents. Assume the user
+   -- has handled that how they want, e.g. with a skip.
+   local queue = typesetter.state.outputQueue
+   local last_vbox = queue and queue[#queue]
+   local last_is_vglue = last_vbox and last_vbox.is_vglue
+   local last_is_vpenalty = last_vbox and last_vbox.is_penalty
+   if typesetter:vmode() and (last_is_vglue or last_is_vpenalty) then
+      return
+   end
    SILE.settings:set("current.parindent", nil)
+   typesetter:leaveHmode()
    typesetter:pushVglue(SILE.settings:get("document.parskip"))
-   if SILE.settings:get("current.hangIndent") then
-      SILE.settings:set("current.hangIndent", nil)
-      SILE.settings:set("linebreak.hangIndent", nil)
-   end
-   if SILE.settings:get("current.hangAfter") then
-      SILE.settings:set("current.hangAfter", nil)
-      SILE.settings:set("linebreak.hangAfter", nil)
-   end
 end
 
 function class:newPage ()
@@ -725,6 +727,7 @@ end
 
 function class:finish ()
    SILE.inputter:postamble()
+   SILE.typesetter:endline()
    SILE.call("vfill")
    while not SILE.typesetter:isQueueEmpty() do
       SILE.call("supereject")
diff --git a/classes/book.lua b/classes/book.lua
index 4388d1ed1..4fe4a5ea2 100644
--- a/classes/book.lua
+++ b/classes/book.lua
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@ function class:registerCommands ()
       if SILE.Commands[postcmd .. ":" .. lang] then
          postcmd = postcmd .. ":" .. lang
       end
+      SILE.call("nofoliothispage")
       SILE.call(postcmd)
       SILE.call("book:chapterfont", {}, content)
       SILE.call("left-running-head", {}, function ()
@@ -173,8 +174,11 @@ function class:registerCommands ()
             SILE.call("book:left-running-head-font", {}, content)
          end)
       end)
+      SILE.call("novbreak")
+      SILE.call("par")
+      SILE.call("novbreak")
       SILE.call("bigskip")
-      SILE.call("nofoliothispage")
+      SILE.call("novbreak")
       -- English typography (notably) expects the first paragraph under a section
       -- not to be indented. Frenchies, don't use this class :)
       SILE.call("noindent")
@@ -215,12 +219,13 @@ function class:registerCommands ()
          end)
       end
       SILE.call("novbreak")
+      SILE.call("par")
+      SILE.call("novbreak")
       SILE.call("bigskip")
       SILE.call("novbreak")
       -- English typography (notably) expects the first paragraph under a section
       -- not to be indented. Frenchies, don't use this class :)
       SILE.call("noindent")
-      SILE.typesetter:inhibitLeading()
    end, "Begin a new section")
 
    self:registerCommand("subsection", function (options, content)
@@ -242,14 +247,14 @@ function class:registerCommands ()
          SILE.call(postcmd)
          SILE.process(content)
       end)
-      SILE.typesetter:leaveHmode()
+      SILE.call("novbreak")
+      SILE.call("par")
       SILE.call("novbreak")
       SILE.call("medskip")
       SILE.call("novbreak")
       -- English typography (notably) expects the first paragraph under a section
       -- not to be indented. Frenchies, don't use this class :)
       SILE.call("noindent")
-      SILE.typesetter:inhibitLeading()
    end, "Begin a new subsection")
 
    self:registerCommand("book:chapterfont", function (_, content)
diff --git a/classes/plain.lua b/classes/plain.lua
index 08fcd337d..149694153 100644
--- a/classes/plain.lua
+++ b/classes/plain.lua
@@ -78,8 +78,16 @@ function class:registerCommands ()
 
    self:registerCommand("noindent", function (_, content)
       if #SILE.typesetter.state.nodes ~= 0 then
-         SU.warn(
-            "\\noindent called after nodes already received in a paragraph, the setting will have no effect because the parindent (if any) has already been output"
+         SU.warn([[\noindent was called after paragraph content has already been procesed.
+
+  This will not result in avoiding the current paragraph being indented.
+  This function must be called before any content belonging to the
+  paragraph is processed. If the intent was to suppress indentation of a
+  following paragraph, first explicitly close the current paragraph. From
+  an input document this is typically done with an empty line between
+  paragraphs, but calling the \par command explicitly or from Lua code
+  running SILE.call("par") will end the current paragraph.
+]]
          )
       end
       SILE.settings:set("current.parindent", SILE.types.node.glue())
diff --git a/tests/bug-1647.sil b/tests/bug-1647.sil
index 0a71bbbed..58ad26447 100644
--- a/tests/bug-1647.sil
+++ b/tests/bug-1647.sil
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 This paragraph is at the page top.
 
 This paragraph has a big parskip before it.
+
 \vfill
 This paragraph must be at the page bottom.
 \par
diff --git a/typesetters/base.lua b/typesetters/base.lua
index 0d3f0201c..f6efd0dc3 100644
--- a/typesetters/base.lua
+++ b/typesetters/base.lua
@@ -349,8 +349,16 @@ function typesetter:initline ()
 end
 
 function typesetter:endline ()
-   self:leaveHmode()
    SILE.documentState.documentClass.endPar(self)
+   self:leaveHmode()
+   if SILE.settings:get("current.hangIndent") then
+      SILE.settings:set("current.hangIndent", nil)
+      SILE.settings:set("linebreak.hangIndent", nil)
+   end
+   if SILE.settings:get("current.hangAfter") then
+      SILE.settings:set("current.hangAfter", nil)
+      SILE.settings:set("linebreak.hangAfter", nil)
+   end
 end
 
 -- Just compute once, to avoid unicode characters in source code.