What I'd like to do: on index.php, a loop that shows a selectable number of full posts using `the_content` and then below that shows a selectable number (the number of posts can be hardcoded in the function) of excerpts (using `the_excerpt`) in a grid pattern 2 excerpts wide. Any `paged` page of posts only uses the grid display of excerpts. Like this:

![index post display][1]

![paged post display][2]


This loop would be ideal if it handled text and excerpts and content rather than images: http://www.billerickson.net/a-better-and-easier-grid-loop/

**Another update 11/03/12:**

Thanks to kaiser for this; but how do I add paging, i.e.:
`<?php twentyeleven_content_nav( 'nav-below' ); ?>`.

    global $wp_query;
    if ( have_posts() )
    {
        while( have_posts() )
        {
            the_post();
    
            // Add Class: "post-number-X"
            $current_post = "post-number-{$wp_query->current_post}";
    
            // Add Class: "home" (for index page) or "post-number-X-of-total";
            $current_in_total = 'home';
            if ( is_paged() )
            {
    
                $current_in_total  = "post-number-";
                $current_in_total .= get_query_var( 'paged' ) * get_query_var( 'posts_per_page' ) - $wp_query->current_post;
                $current_in_total .= "-of-total";
            }
    
            // Add Class: Even/Odd
            $even_odd = ( 0 === $GLOBALS['wp_query']->current_post % 2 ) ? ' even' : ' odd';
            // Avoid even/odd class for excerpts (everything after the 2nd post)
            2 > $wp_query->current_post AND $even_odd = '';
    
            // MarkUp: Uses `post_class()` to add classes
            ?>
     <article <?php post_class( "{$current_post}{$even_odd} {$current_in_total}" ); ?>>
                <h3><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a></h3>
                <?php 
                // Home/Index/Front-Page/Archive first page
                if ( ! is_paged() )
                {
                    // Display the_content(); for the first 2 posts, then the_excerpt();
                    2<= $wp_query->current_post ? the_excerpt() : the_content();
                }
                // Paged archives (starts at second page)
                else
                {
                    the_excerpt();
                }
                ?>
            </article>
            <?php
        } 
    
    
    } // endif;
    unset( $current_post, $current_in_total, $even_odd );


  [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/svLRf.jpg
  [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/qhv9R.jpg