diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/DocBook.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/DocBook.hs
index 336b40933..4d8d5ab94 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/DocBook.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/DocBook.hs
@@ -592,8 +592,6 @@ checkInMeta p = do
   when accepts p
   return mempty
 
-
-
 addMeta :: ToMetaValue a => String -> a -> DB ()
 addMeta field val = modify (setMeta field val)
 
@@ -612,7 +610,7 @@ isBlockElement (Elem e) = qName (elName e) `elem` blocktags
            "important","caution","note","tip","warning","qandadiv",
            "question","answer","abstract","itemizedlist","orderedlist",
            "variablelist","article","book","table","informaltable",
-           "informalexample",
+           "informalexample", "linegroup",
            "screen","programlisting","example","calloutlist"]
 isBlockElement _ = False
 
@@ -779,6 +777,7 @@ parseBlock (Elem e) =
         "informaltable" -> parseTable
         "informalexample" -> divWith ("", ["informalexample"], []) <$>
                              getBlocks e
+        "linegroup" -> lineBlock <$> lineItems
         "literallayout" -> codeBlockWithLang
         "screen" -> codeBlockWithLang
         "programlisting" -> codeBlockWithLang
@@ -900,6 +899,7 @@ parseBlock (Elem e) =
                      let ident = attrValue "id" e
                      modify $ \st -> st{ dbSectionLevel = n - 1 }
                      return $ headerWith (ident,[],[]) n' headerText <> b
+         lineItems = mapM getInlines $ filterChildren (named "line") e
          metaBlock = acceptingMetadata (getBlocks e) >> return mempty
 
 getInlines :: Element -> DB Inlines
diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
index 2e95c518d..68bc936b1 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Markdown.hs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Conversion of markdown-formatted plain text to 'Pandoc' document.
 module Text.Pandoc.Readers.Markdown ( readMarkdown,
                                       readMarkdownWithWarnings ) where
 
-import Data.List ( transpose, sortBy, findIndex, intersperse, intercalate )
+import Data.List ( transpose, sortBy, findIndex, intercalate )
 import qualified Data.Map as M
 import Data.Scientific (coefficient, base10Exponent)
 import Data.Ord ( comparing )
@@ -1106,7 +1106,7 @@ lineBlock = try $ do
   guardEnabled Ext_line_blocks
   lines' <- lineBlockLines >>=
             mapM (parseFromString (trimInlinesF . mconcat <$> many inline))
-  return $ B.para <$> (mconcat $ intersperse (return B.linebreak) lines')
+  return $ B.lineBlock <$> sequence lines'
 
 --
 -- Tables
diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Org/Blocks.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Org/Blocks.hs
index 82c3a6cbe..d14c894e6 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Org/Blocks.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Org/Blocks.hs
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ import           Text.Pandoc.Shared ( compactify', compactify'DL )
 
 import           Control.Monad ( foldM, guard, mzero, void )
 import           Data.Char ( isSpace, toLower, toUpper)
-import           Data.List ( foldl', intersperse, isPrefixOf )
+import           Data.List ( foldl', isPrefixOf )
 import           Data.Maybe ( fromMaybe, isNothing )
 import           Data.Monoid ((<>))
 
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ verseBlock :: String -> OrgParser (F Blocks)
 verseBlock blockType = try $ do
   ignHeaders
   content <- rawBlockContent blockType
-  fmap B.para . mconcat . intersperse (pure B.linebreak)
+  fmap B.lineBlock . sequence
     <$> mapM parseVerseLine (lines content)
  where
    -- replace initial spaces with nonbreaking spaces to preserve
diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/RST.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/RST.hs
index f181d523a..64e564278 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/RST.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/RST.hs
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ import Text.Pandoc.Shared
 import Text.Pandoc.Parsing
 import Text.Pandoc.Options
 import Control.Monad ( when, liftM, guard, mzero )
-import Data.List ( findIndex, intersperse, intercalate,
+import Data.List ( findIndex, intercalate,
                    transpose, sort, deleteFirstsBy, isSuffixOf , nub, union)
 import Data.Maybe (fromMaybe)
 import qualified Data.Map as M
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ lineBlock :: RSTParser Blocks
 lineBlock = try $ do
   lines' <- lineBlockLines
   lines'' <- mapM parseInlineFromString lines'
-  return $ B.para (mconcat $ intersperse B.linebreak lines'')
+  return $ B.lineBlock lines''
 
 --
 -- paragraph block
diff --git a/tests/Tests/Readers/Org.hs b/tests/Tests/Readers/Org.hs
index d4fedc797..49423bd11 100644
--- a/tests/Tests/Readers/Org.hs
+++ b/tests/Tests/Readers/Org.hs
@@ -1490,14 +1490,11 @@ tests =
           mconcat
           [ para $ spcSep [ "The", "first", "lines", "of"
                           , "Goethe's", emph "Faust" <> ":"]
-          , para $ mconcat
-              [ spcSep [ "Habe", "nun,", "ach!", "Philosophie," ]
-              , linebreak
-              , spcSep [ "Juristerei", "und", "Medizin," ]
-              , linebreak
-              , spcSep [ "Und", "leider", "auch", "Theologie!" ]
-              , linebreak
-              , spcSep [ "Durchaus", "studiert,", "mit", "heißem", "Bemühn." ]
+          , lineBlock
+              [ "Habe nun, ach! Philosophie,"
+              , "Juristerei und Medizin,"
+              , "Und leider auch Theologie!"
+              , "Durchaus studiert, mit heißem Bemühn."
               ]
           ]
 
@@ -1508,7 +1505,7 @@ tests =
                   , "bar"
                   , "#+END_VERSE"
                   ] =?>
-          para ("foo" <> linebreak <> linebreak <> "bar")
+          lineBlock [ "foo", mempty, "bar" ]
 
       , "Verse block with varying indentation" =:
           unlines [ "#+BEGIN_VERSE"
@@ -1516,7 +1513,7 @@ tests =
                   , "my old friend"
                   , "#+END_VERSE"
                   ] =?>
-          para ("\160\160hello darkness" <> linebreak <> "my old friend")
+          lineBlock [ "\160\160hello darkness", "my old friend" ]
 
       , "Raw block LaTeX" =:
           unlines [ "#+BEGIN_LaTeX"
diff --git a/tests/Tests/Readers/RST.hs b/tests/Tests/Readers/RST.hs
index 622f5e48b..e47432250 100644
--- a/tests/Tests/Readers/RST.hs
+++ b/tests/Tests/Readers/RST.hs
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@ infix 4 =:
 
 tests :: [Test]
 tests = [ "line block with blank line" =:
-          "| a\n|\n|  b" =?> para (str "a") <>
-                             para (str "\160b")
+          "| a\n|\n|  b" =?> lineBlock [ "a", mempty, "\160b" ]
         , testGroup "field list"
           [ "general" =: unlines
              [ "para"
@@ -135,7 +134,7 @@ tests = [ "line block with blank line" =:
                  codeBlock "block quotes\n\ncan go on for many lines" <>
                  para "but must stop here")
           , "line block with 3 lines" =: "| a\n| b\n| c"
-            =?> para ("a" <> linebreak <>  "b" <> linebreak <> "c")
+            =?> lineBlock ["a", "b", "c"]
           , "quoted literal block using >" =: "::\n\n> quoted\n> block\n\nOrdinary paragraph"
             =?> codeBlock "> quoted\n> block" <> para "Ordinary paragraph"
           , "quoted literal block using | (not  a line block)" =: "::\n\n| quoted\n| block\n\nOrdinary paragraph"
diff --git a/tests/markdown-reader-more.native b/tests/markdown-reader-more.native
index 136996068..9df6a068a 100644
--- a/tests/markdown-reader-more.native
+++ b/tests/markdown-reader-more.native
@@ -84,8 +84,14 @@ Pandoc (Meta {unMeta = fromList [("author",MetaList [MetaInlines [Str "Author",S
 ,BlockQuote
  [Header 2 ("foobar",["baz"],[("key","val")]) [Str "Header",Space,Str "attributes",Space,Str "inside",Space,Str "block",Space,Str "quote"]]
 ,Header 2 ("line-blocks",[],[]) [Str "Line",Space,Str "blocks"]
-,Para [Str "But",Space,Str "can",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "bee",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "said",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "be",LineBreak,Str "\160\160\160\160or",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "an",Space,Str "entire",Space,Str "bee,",LineBreak,Str "\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160when",Space,Str "half",Space,Str "the",Space,Str "bee",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "bee,",LineBreak,Str "\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160due",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "some",Space,Str "ancient",Space,Str "injury?"]
-,Para [Str "Continuation",Space,Str "line",LineBreak,Str "\160\160and",Space,Str "another"]
+,LineBlock
+ [[Str "But",Space,Str "can",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "bee",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "said",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "be"]
+ ,[Str "\160\160\160\160or",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "an",Space,Str "entire",Space,Str "bee,"]
+ ,[Str "\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160when",Space,Str "half",Space,Str "the",Space,Str "bee",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "bee,"]
+ ,[Str "\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160due",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "some",Space,Str "ancient",Space,Str "injury?"]
+ ,[]
+ ,[Str "Continuation",Space,Str "line"]
+ ,[Str "\160\160and",Space,Str "another"]]
 ,Header 2 ("grid-tables",[],[]) [Str "Grid",Space,Str "Tables"]
 ,Table [] [AlignDefault,AlignDefault,AlignDefault] [0.2638888888888889,0.16666666666666666,0.18055555555555555]
  [[Plain [Str "col",Space,Str "1"]]
diff --git a/tests/rst-reader.native b/tests/rst-reader.native
index d44fa5efb..4a3df7f24 100644
--- a/tests/rst-reader.native
+++ b/tests/rst-reader.native
@@ -230,8 +230,14 @@ Pandoc (Meta {unMeta = fromList [("author",MetaList [MetaInlines [Str "John",Spa
 ,Para [Str "Another",Space,Str "paragraph"]
 ,Para [Str "A",Space,Str "third",Space,Str "paragraph"]
 ,Header 1 ("line-blocks",[],[]) [Str "Line",Space,Str "blocks"]
-,Para [Str "But",Space,Str "can",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "bee",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "said",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "be",LineBreak,Str "\160\160\160\160or",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "an",Space,Str "entire",Space,Str "bee,",LineBreak,Str "\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160when",Space,Str "half",Space,Str "the",Space,Str "bee",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "bee,",LineBreak,Str "\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160due",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "some",Space,Str "ancient",Space,Str "injury?"]
-,Para [Str "Continuation",Space,Str "line",LineBreak,Str "\160\160and",Space,Str "another"]
+,LineBlock
+ [[Str "But",Space,Str "can",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "bee",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "said",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "be"]
+ ,[Str "\160\160\160\160or",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "an",Space,Str "entire",Space,Str "bee,"]
+ ,[Str "\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160when",Space,Str "half",Space,Str "the",Space,Str "bee",Space,Str "is",Space,Str "not",Space,Str "a",Space,Str "bee,"]
+ ,[Str "\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160\160due",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "some",Space,Str "ancient",Space,Str "injury?"]
+ ,[]
+ ,[Str "Continuation",Space,Str "line"]
+ ,[Str "\160\160and",Space,Str "another"]]
 ,Header 1 ("simple-tables",[],[]) [Str "Simple",Space,Str "Tables"]
 ,Table [] [AlignDefault,AlignDefault,AlignDefault] [0.0,0.0,0.0]
  [[Plain [Str "col",Space,Str "1"]]