diff --git a/src/compiler/GF/Command/Commands.hs b/src/compiler/GF/Command/Commands.hs
index a8a175f7c..72e57fcf5 100644
--- a/src/compiler/GF/Command/Commands.hs
+++ b/src/compiler/GF/Command/Commands.hs
@@ -445,6 +445,7 @@ pgfCommands = Map.fromList [
        ],
      options = [
        ("lines","return the list of lines, instead of the singleton of all contents"),
+       ("paragraphs","return the list of paragraphs, as separated by empty lines"),
        ("tree","convert strings into trees")
        ],
      exec = getEnv $ \ opts _ (Env pgf mos) -> do
@@ -470,6 +471,7 @@ pgfCommands = Map.fromList [
          _ | isOpt "tree" opts ->
                returnFromLines [(1::Int,s)]
          _ | isOpt "lines" opts -> return (fromStrings $ lines s)
+         _ | isOpt "paragraphs" opts -> return (fromStrings $ toParagraphs $ lines s)
          _ -> return (fromString s),
      flags = [("file","the input file name")]
      }),
diff --git a/src/compiler/GF/Command/CommonCommands.hs b/src/compiler/GF/Command/CommonCommands.hs
index 69ccaf325..0b698e79c 100644
--- a/src/compiler/GF/Command/CommonCommands.hs
+++ b/src/compiler/GF/Command/CommonCommands.hs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 -- elsewhere
 module GF.Command.CommonCommands where
 import Data.List(sort)
+import Data.Char (isSpace)
 import GF.Command.CommandInfo
 import qualified Data.Map as Map
 import GF.Infra.SIO
@@ -116,11 +117,13 @@ commonCommands = fmap (mapCommandExec liftSIO) $ Map.fromList [
                let (os,fs) = optsAndFlags opts
                trans <- optTranslit opts
 
-               if isOpt "lines" opts 
-                  then return $ fromStrings $ map (trans . stringOps (envFlag fs) (map prOpt os)) $ toStrings x
-                  else return ((fromString . trans . stringOps (envFlag fs) (map prOpt os) . toString) x),
+               case opts of
+                 _ | isOpt "lines" opts -> return $ fromStrings $ map (trans . stringOps (envFlag fs) (map prOpt os)) $ toStrings x
+                 _ | isOpt "paragraphs" opts -> return $ fromStrings $ map (trans . stringOps (envFlag fs) (map prOpt os)) $ toParagraphs $ toStrings x
+                 _ -> return ((fromString . trans . stringOps (envFlag fs) (map prOpt os) . toString) x),
      options = [
-       ("lines","apply the operation separately to each input line, returning a list of lines")
+       ("lines","apply the operation separately to each input line, returning a list of lines"),
+       ("paragraphs","apply separately to each input paragraph (as separated by empty lines), returning a list of lines")
        ] ++
        stringOpOptions,
      flags = [
@@ -269,3 +272,11 @@ trie = render . pptss . H.toTrie . map H.toATree
 -- ** Converting command input
 toString  = unwords . toStrings
 toLines = unlines . toStrings
+
+toParagraphs = map (unwords . words) . toParas
+  where
+    toParas ls = case break (all isSpace) ls of
+      ([],[])   -> []
+      ([],_:ll) -> toParas ll
+      (l, [])   -> [unwords l]
+      (l, _:ll) -> unwords l : toParas ll