Minor clarifications in previous change.

1 files changed, 30 insertions, 26 deletions

diff --git a/doc/lispref/minibuf.texi b/doc/lispref/minibuf.texi
index 6561460d1f9..60b396be827 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/minibuf.texi
+++ b/doc/lispref/minibuf.texi
@@ -128,18 +128,19 @@ However, if @var{read} is non-@code{nil}, @code{read-from-minibuffer}
 reads the text and returns the resulting Lisp object, unevaluated.
 (@xref{Input Functions}, for information about reading.)
 
-The argument @var{default} specifies a default value to make available
-through the history commands.  It should be a string, a list of strings,
-or @code{nil}.  If non-@code{nil}, the user can access its values using
-@code{next-history-element}, usually bound in the minibuffer to
-@kbd{M-n}.  If @var{read} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{default} is
-also used as the input to @code{read}, if the user enters empty input.
-(If @var{read} is non-@code{nil} and @var{default} is @code{nil}, empty
+The argument @var{default} specifies default values to make available
+through the history commands.  It should be a string, a list of
+strings, or @code{nil}.  The string or strings become the minibuffer's
+``future history,'' available to the user with @kbd{M-n}.
+
+If @var{read} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{default} is also used as
+the input to @code{read}, if the user enters empty input.  (If
+@var{read} is non-@code{nil} and @var{default} is @code{nil}, empty
 input results in an @code{end-of-file} error.)  However, in the usual
 case (where @var{read} is @code{nil}), @code{read-from-minibuffer}
 ignores @var{default} when the user enters empty input and returns an
-empty string, @code{""}.  In this respect, it is different from all
-the other minibuffer input functions in this chapter.
+empty string, @code{""}.  In this respect, it differs from all the
+other minibuffer input functions in this chapter.
 
 If @var{keymap} is non-@code{nil}, that keymap is the local keymap to
 use in the minibuffer.  If @var{keymap} is omitted or @code{nil}, the
@@ -176,11 +177,14 @@ The keymap used is @code{minibuffer-local-map}.
 The optional argument @var{default} is used as in
 @code{read-from-minibuffer}, except that, if non-@code{nil}, it also
 specifies a default value to return if the user enters null input.  As
-in @code{read-from-minibuffer} it should be a string, a list of strings,
-or @code{nil}, which is equivalent to an empty string.  When @var{default}
-is a list of strings, it returns the first element of this list.
-
-This function is a simplified interface to the
+in @code{read-from-minibuffer} it should be a string, a list of
+strings, or @code{nil} which is equivalent to an empty string.  When
+@var{default} is a string, that string is the default value.  When it
+is a list of strings, the first string is the default value.  (All
+these strings are available to the user in the ``future minibuffer
+history.'')
+
+This function works by calling the
 @code{read-from-minibuffer} function:
 
 @smallexample
@@ -840,11 +844,11 @@ an element of @var{collection}.  If @var{require-match} is neither
 input already in the buffer matches an element of @var{collection}.
 
 However, empty input is always permitted, regardless of the value of
-@var{require-match}; in that case, @code{completing-read} returns
-the first element of @var{default}, if it is a list, @code{""},
-if @var{default} is @code{nil}, or @var{default}.  The value of
-@var{default} (if non-@code{nil}) is also available to the user
-through the history commands.
+@var{require-match}; in that case, @code{completing-read} returns the
+first element of @var{default}, if it is a list; @code{""}, if
+@var{default} is @code{nil}; or @var{default}.  The string or strins
+in @var{default} aer also available to the user through the history
+commands.
 
 The function @code{completing-read} uses
 @code{minibuffer-local-completion-map} as the keymap if
@@ -1181,13 +1185,13 @@ complete in the set of extant Lisp symbols, and it uses the
 This function reads the name of a user variable and returns it as a
 symbol.
 
-The argument @var{default} specifies what to return if the user enters
-null input.  It can be a symbol, a string or a list of strings.  If it
-is a string, @code{read-variable} interns it before returning it.
-If it is a list, @code{read-variable} returns the first element of
-this list.  If @var{default} is @code{nil}, that means no default has
-been specified; then if the user enters null input, the return value
-is @code{(intern "")}.
+The argument @var{default} specifies the default value to return if
+the user enters null input.  It can be a symbol, a string, or a list
+of strings.  If it is a string, @code{read-variable} interns it to
+make the default value; If it is a list, @code{read-variable} interns
+the first element.  If @var{default} is @code{nil}, that means no
+default has been specified; then if the user enters null input, the
+return value is @code{(intern "")}.
 
 @example
 @group