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(emacs)Text Mode

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Text Mode
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   When you edit files of text in a human language, it's more convenient
to use Text mode rather than Fundamental mode.  To enter Text mode, type
`M-x text-mode'.

   In Text mode, only blank lines and page delimiters separate
paragraphs.  As a result, paragraphs can be indented, and adaptive
filling determines what indentation to use when filling a paragraph.
Note: Adaptive Fill.

   Text mode defines <TAB> to run `indent-relative' (Note:
Indentation), so that you can conveniently indent a line like the
previous line.  When the previous line is not indented,
`indent-relative' runs `tab-to-tab-stop', which uses Emacs tab stops
that you can set (Note: Tab Stops).

   Text mode turns off the features concerned with comments except when
you explicitly invoke them.  It changes the syntax table so that periods
are not considered part of a word, while apostrophes, backspaces and
underlines are considered part of words.

   If you indent the first lines of paragraphs, then you should use
Paragraph-Indent Text mode rather than Text mode.  In this mode, you do
not need to have blank lines between paragraphs, because the first-line
indentation is sufficient to start a paragraph; however paragraphs in
which every line is indented are not supported.  Use `M-x
paragraph-indent-text-mode' to enter this mode.  Use `M-x
paragraph-indent-minor-mode' to enter an equivalent minor mode, for
instance during mail composition.

   Text mode, and all the modes based on it, define `M-<TAB>' as the
command `ispell-complete-word', which performs completion of the
partial word in the buffer before point, using the spelling dictionary
as the space of possible words.  Note: Spelling.

   Entering Text mode runs the hook `text-mode-hook'.  Other major
modes related to Text mode also run this hook, followed by hooks of
their own; this includes Paragraph-Indent Text mode, Nroff mode, TeX
mode, Outline mode, and Mail mode.  Hook functions on `text-mode-hook'
can look at the value of `major-mode' to see which of these modes is
actually being entered.  Note: Hooks.

   Emacs provides two other modes for editing text that is to be passed
through a text formatter to produce fancy formatted printed output.
Note: Nroff Mode, for editing input to the formatter nroff.  Note:
TeX Mode, for editing input to the formatter TeX.

   Another mode is used for editing outlines.  It allows you to view the
text at various levels of detail.  You can view either the outline
headings alone or both headings and text; you can also hide some of the
headings at lower levels from view to make the high level structure more
visible.  Note: Outline Mode.