diff --git a/src/Paragraph.cpp b/src/Paragraph.cpp
index daac791831..8ea300ea75 100644
--- a/src/Paragraph.cpp
+++ b/src/Paragraph.cpp
@@ -2776,7 +2776,7 @@ docstring Paragraph::simpleLyXHTMLOnePar(Buffer const & buf,
 	Layout const & style = *d->layout_;
 
 	if (start_paragraph)
-		xs.startParagraph(allowEmpty());
+		xs.startDivision(allowEmpty());
 
 	FontInfo font_old =
 		style.labeltype == LABEL_MANUAL ? style.labelfont : style.font;
@@ -3080,7 +3080,7 @@ docstring Paragraph::simpleLyXHTMLOnePar(Buffer const & buf,
 	// wrapped in some font stuff. I think that will not work.
 	xs.closeFontTags();
 	if (close_paragraph)
-		xs.endParagraph();
+		xs.endDivision();
 
 	return retval;
 }
diff --git a/src/insets/InsetText.cpp b/src/insets/InsetText.cpp
index 583bd82b57..1222a69a30 100644
--- a/src/insets/InsetText.cpp
+++ b/src/insets/InsetText.cpp
@@ -613,9 +613,9 @@ docstring InsetText::insetAsXHTML(XHTMLStream & xs, OutputParams const & rp,
 	runparams.par_end = text().paragraphs().size();
 	
 	if (undefined()) {
-		xs.startParagraph(false);
+		xs.startDivision(false);
 		xhtmlParagraphs(text_, buffer(), xs, runparams);
-		xs.endParagraph();
+		xs.endDivision();
 		return docstring();
 	}
 
@@ -649,9 +649,9 @@ docstring InsetText::insetAsXHTML(XHTMLStream & xs, OutputParams const & rp,
 	if (il.isPassThru())
 		runparams.pass_thru = true;
 
-	xs.startParagraph(false);
+	xs.startDivision(false);
 	xhtmlParagraphs(text_, buffer(), xs, runparams);
-	xs.endParagraph();
+	xs.endDivision();
 
 	if (opts & WriteInnerTag)
 		xs << html::EndTag(il.htmlinnertag());
diff --git a/src/output_xhtml.cpp b/src/output_xhtml.cpp
index 84d171b08a..585ee2cb34 100644
--- a/src/output_xhtml.cpp
+++ b/src/output_xhtml.cpp
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ bool XHTMLStream::closeFontTags()
 }
 
 
-void XHTMLStream::startParagraph(bool keep_empty)
+void XHTMLStream::startDivision(bool keep_empty)
 {
 	pending_tags_.push_back(makeTagPtr(html::StartTag(parsep_tag)));
 	if (keep_empty)
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ void XHTMLStream::startParagraph(bool keep_empty)
 }
 
 
-void XHTMLStream::endParagraph()
+void XHTMLStream::endDivision()
 {
 	if (isTagPending(parsep_tag)) {
 		// this case is normal. it just means we didn't have content,
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ void XHTMLStream::endParagraph()
 	}
 
 	if (!isTagOpen(parsep_tag)) {
-		writeError("No paragraph separation tag found in endParagraph().");
+		writeError("No division separation tag found in endDivision().");
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -852,7 +852,7 @@ ParagraphList::const_iterator makeParagraphs(Buffer const & buf,
 		bool const special_case =  
 			specinset && !specinset->getLayout().htmlisblock();
 
-		bool const opened = runparams.html_make_pars
+		bool const open_par = runparams.html_make_pars
 			&& (!runparams.html_in_par || par != pbegin)
 			&& !special_case;
 
@@ -863,11 +863,11 @@ ParagraphList::const_iterator makeParagraphs(Buffer const & buf,
 		//        but we are in the first par, and there is a next par.
 		ParagraphList::const_iterator nextpar = par;
 		++nextpar;
-		bool const needclose =
-			(opened && (!runparams.html_in_par || nextpar != pend))
-			|| (!opened && runparams.html_in_par && par == pbegin && nextpar != pend);
+		bool const close_par =
+			(open_par && (!runparams.html_in_par || nextpar != pend))
+			|| (!open_par && runparams.html_in_par && par == pbegin && nextpar != pend);
 
-		if (opened) {
+		if (open_par) {
 			// We do not issue the paragraph id if we are doing 
 			// this for the TOC (or some similar purpose)
 			openParTag(xs, lay, par->params(),
@@ -876,12 +876,12 @@ ParagraphList::const_iterator makeParagraphs(Buffer const & buf,
 
 		docstring const deferred = par->simpleLyXHTMLOnePar(buf, xs, 
 			runparams, text.outerFont(distance(begin, par)),
-			opened, needclose);
+			open_par, close_par);
 
 		if (!deferred.empty()) {
 			xs << XHTMLStream::ESCAPE_NONE << deferred << html::CR();
 		}
-		if (needclose) {
+		if (close_par) {
 			closeTag(xs, lay);
 			xs << html::CR();
 		}
diff --git a/src/output_xhtml.h b/src/output_xhtml.h
index 57a2b2b835..981038ba8e 100644
--- a/src/output_xhtml.h
+++ b/src/output_xhtml.h
@@ -204,12 +204,13 @@ public:
 	/// \return false if there are open font tags we could not close.
 	/// because they are "blocked" by open non-font tags on the stack.
 	bool closeFontTags();
-	/// call at start of paragraph. sets a mark so we know what tags
-	/// to close at the end.
-	void startParagraph(bool keep_empty);
-	/// call at end of paragraph to clear that mark. note that this
-	/// will also close any tags still open.
-	void endParagraph();
+	/// sets a mark so we know what tags to close at the end.
+	/// normally called at the start of a paragraph.
+	void startDivision(bool keep_empty);
+	/// clears the mark set by previous method.
+	/// there should not be any other tags open before it on the stack,
+	/// but if there are, we will close them.
+	void endDivision();
 	///
 	XHTMLStream & operator<<(docstring const &);
 	///