mjhjmtu

I want to align the last word of a paragraph to the right like this example from The TeXbook.

This works great with a justified paragraph, but fails with a raggedright paragraph.

In case it's relevant, my specific example in the MWE example below includes a slightly more complicated paragraph setup for typesetting psalms based on code from this answer.

There are two issues with my current set up.

1. The second to last word in the paragraph wraps on to the last line even when there is space for it on the previous line.


2. The last word of the paragraph (Selah) is not set flush right.

I also want to avoid hyphenation.

documentclassarticle

usepackagexparse
usepackage[showframe,textwidth=5.6cm,textheight=10cm]geometry
parindent 0em

ExplSyntaxOn

dim_new:N l__scripture_indent_dim

dim_set:Nn l__scripture_indent_dim 1em 

cs_new:Nn scripture_vs:n
 
 textsuperscript #1
 

cs_new:Nn scripture_vs_overlap_left:n
 
 hbox_overlap_left:n
 
 scripture_vs:n #1
 
 

cs_new:Nn scripture_format_selah:n
 
 emph #1
 

cs_new:Nn scripture_selah:
 
 
 unskip
 nobreak
 hfil
 penalty 50
 skip_horizontal:N 2em
 hbox:n 
 nobreak
 hfil
 scripture_format_selah:n Selah 
 parfillskip = 0pt
 finalhyphendemerits = 0
 endgraf
 skip_vertical:n -baselineskip 
 leavevmode
 
 

cs_new:Nn scripture_vs_outdent_overlap_left:n
 
 skip_horizontal:N -l__scripture_indent_dim
 scripture_vs_overlap_left:n #1
 skip_horizontal:N l__scripture_indent_dim
 

cs_new_protected:Nn scripture_psalm_par:
 
 mode_if_vertical:TF
 
 cs_set_eq:NN vs scripture_vs_overlap_left:n
 noindent
 
 
 cs_set_eq:NN vs scripture_vs_outdent_overlap_left:n
 endgraf
 
 dim_set:Nn hangindent 4 l__scripture_indent_dim 
 

NewDocumentCommand selah 
 
 scripture_selah:
 

NewDocumentEnvironment psalm 
 
 raggedright
 cs_set_eq:NN vs scripture_vs_overlap_left:n
 cs_set_eq:NN par scripture_psalm_par:
 dim_set_eq:NN leftskip l__scripture_indent_dim
 dim_set_eq:NN parindent l__scripture_indent_dim
 obeylines
 
 

ExplSyntaxOff

begindocument

section*What I get

beginpsalm
 vs1textscLord, how many are my foes!
 How many rise up against me!

 vs2Many are saying of me,
 ‘God will not deliver him.’selahmedskip

 vs3But you, textscLord, are a shield around me,
 my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

 vs4I call out to the Lord,
 and he answers me from his holy mountain.selah
endpsalm

section*What I'd like

hspace*2em`God will not deliver him.'selah

medskip

hspace*2emand he answers me from his \
hspace*5emholy mountain.selah

enddocument

Looks like you can slightly modify the scripture_selah definition. I added the hspace*0.025textwidth just to make sure there is some extra space, so that Selah is padded and not immediately flush (if there is enough space, e.g. with him.').

(version using only primitives)

cs_new:Nn scripture_selah:

 hfillnull%
 penalty -5%
 nullhfill%
 kern 1emscripture_format_selah:n Selah%
 skip_vertical:n -baselineskip 
 leavevmode

(minimal changes version)

cs_new:Nn scripture_selah:
 
 
 unskip
 hfil
 penalty 50
 hbox:n 
 nobreak
 hspace*fill
 scripture_format_selah:n hspace*0.025textwidthSelah 
 parfillskip = 0pt
 finalhyphendemerits = 0
 endgraf
 skip_vertical:n -baselineskip 
 leavevmode
 
 

(version with minimal code)

cs_new:Nn scripture_selah:
 
 
 hfil
 penalty 50
 hspace*fill
 scripture_format_selah:n hspace*0.025textwidthSelah 
 skip_vertical:n -baselineskip 
 leavevmode
 
 

This works in the particular example that you provided. I am not sure if this will robustly work in every situation that you will be using it in.

EDIT:

I was looking more into hbox:n and I really don't think you want to use it here (see my "version with minimal code"). It is meant roughly as a hook just before par. If you wrap scripture_format_selah:n within hbox:n (i.e. hbox:n scripture_format_selah:n ..., you will get the same result as without using hbox:n in this situation. Therefore, I opted to ignore it.