; Clarify "ChangeLog entries" in CONTRIBUTE.

1 files changed, 16 insertions, 14 deletions

diff --git a/CONTRIBUTE b/CONTRIBUTE
index a71cc1b277a..049ca00089e 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTE
+++ b/CONTRIBUTE
@@ -184,8 +184,9 @@ Here is an example commit message (indented):
 	Deactivate the mark.
 
 Occasionally, commit messages are collected and prepended to a
-ChangeLog file, where they can be corrected.  It saves time to get
-them right the first time, so here are guidelines for formatting them:
+generated ChangeLog file, where they can be corrected.  It saves time
+to get them right the first time, so here are guidelines for
+formatting them:
 
 - Start with a single unindented summary line explaining the change;
   do not end this line with a period.  If possible, try to keep the
@@ -194,9 +195,10 @@ them right the first time, so here are guidelines for formatting them:
   contexts.
 
   If the summary line starts with a semicolon and a space "; ", the
-  commit message will be ignored when generating the ChangeLog file.
-  Use this for minor commits that do not need separate ChangeLog
-  entries, such as changes in etc/NEWS.
+  commit message will be skipped and not added to the generated
+  ChangeLog file.  Use this for minor commits that do not need to be
+  mentioned in the ChangeLog file, such as changes in etc/NEWS, typo
+  fixes, etc.
 
 - After the summary line, there should be an empty line.
 
@@ -211,8 +213,8 @@ them right the first time, so here are guidelines for formatting them:
   enforced by a commit hook.
 
 - If only a single file is changed, the summary line can be the normal
-  file first line (starting with the asterisk).  Then there is no
-  individual files section.
+  file first line (starting with the asterisk).  Then there will be no
+  individual ChangeLog entries beyond the one in the summary line.
 
 - If the commit has more than one author, the commit message should
   contain separate lines to mention the other authors, like the
@@ -245,10 +247,10 @@ them right the first time, so here are guidelines for formatting them:
   the rationale for a change; that can be done in the commit message
   between the summary line and the file entries.
 
-- Emacs generally follows the GNU coding standards for ChangeLogs: see
-  https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Change-Logs.html
-  or run 'info "(standards)Change Logs"'.  One exception is that
-  commits still sometimes quote `like-this' (as the standards used to
+- Emacs follows the GNU coding standards for ChangeLog entries: see
+  https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Change-Logs.html or run
+  'info "(standards)Change Logs"'.  One exception is that commits
+  still sometimes quote `like-this' (as the standards used to
   recommend) rather than 'like-this' or ‘like this’ (as they do now),
   as `...' is so widely used elsewhere in Emacs.
 
@@ -261,9 +263,9 @@ them right the first time, so here are guidelines for formatting them:
   in Emacs; that includes spelling and leaving 2 blanks between
   sentences.
 
-  They are preserved indefinitely, and have a reasonable chance of
-  being read in the future, so it's better that they have good
-  presentation.
+  The ChangeLog entries are preserved indefinitely, and have a
+  reasonable chance of being read in the future, so it's better that
+  they have good presentation.
 
 - Use the present tense; describe "what the change does", not "what
   the change did".