and @code{b}.
However, these two operations are not precisely inverses. There are
-two kinds of exceptions:
+three kinds of exceptions:
@itemize @bullet
@item
@samp{1} and @samp{01} represent the same integer, and @samp{(a b)} and
@samp{(a .@: (b))} represent the same list. Reading will accept any of
the alternatives, but printing must choose one of them.
+
+@item
+Comments can appear at certain points in the middle of an object's
+read sequence without affecting the result of reading it.
@end itemize
@node Input Streams
In Emacs 18, reading a symbol discarded the delimiter terminating the
symbol. Thus, point would end up at the beginning of @samp{contents}
rather than after @samp{the}. The Emacs 19 behavior is superior because
-it correctly handles input such as @samp{bar(foo)}, where the delimiter
-that ends one object is needed as the beginning of another object.
+it correctly handles input such as @samp{bar(foo)}, where the
+open-parenthesis that ends one object is needed as the beginning of
+another object.
Here is an example of reading from a stream that is a marker,
initially positioned at the beginning of the buffer shown. The value