list to see the @sc{cdr} of the final cons cell, it won't care.
However, some functions that operate on lists demand proper lists and
signal errors if given a dotted list. Most functions that try to find
-the end of a list enter infinite loops if given a circular list.
+the end of a list enter infinite loops if given a circular list. You
+can use the function @code{proper-list-p}, described in the next
+section (@pxref{List-related Predicates, proper-list-p}), to determine
+whether a list is a proper one.
@cindex list structure
Because most cons cells are used as part of lists, we refer to any