[groff] 16/16: [docs]: Fix style nits.

[G. Branden Robinson]

gbranden pushed a commit to branch master
in repository groff.

commit a5105938c002980d3e75e1824403fe3ee608d6ed
Author: G. Branden Robinson <g.branden.robinson@gmail.com>
AuthorDate: Thu Jun 9 19:49:45 2022 -0500

    [docs]: Fix style nits.
    
    * Clarify.
    * Improve placement of "only", the most misplacable modifier in English.
    * Tighten wording.
---
 doc/groff.texi            | 24 ++++++++++++------------
 man/groff_font.5.man      | 13 +++++++------
 src/preproc/tbl/tbl.1.man | 16 ++++++++--------
 3 files changed, 27 insertions(+), 26 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/groff.texi b/doc/groff.texi
index 00632330..74995454 100644
--- a/doc/groff.texi
+++ b/doc/groff.texi
@@ -17898,13 +17898,13 @@ follows.
 @c glyphs, is not clearly separated in the terminology of @code{groff};
 @c for example, the @code{char} request should be called @code{glyph}
 @c since it defines an output entity.}
-if @var{name} is a single printable character@tie{}@var{c}, it
-corresponds to the @code{troff} input character@tie{}@var{c}.  If
-@var{name} is a multi-character sequence not beginning with @code{\}, it
-corresponds to the GNU @code{troff} special character escape sequence
+if @var{name} is a printable character@tie{}@var{c}, it corresponds to
+the @code{troff} ordinary character@tie{}@var{c}.  If @var{name} is a
+multi-character sequence not beginning with @code{\}, it corresponds to
+the GNU @code{troff} special character escape sequence
 @samp{\[@var{name}]}.  A name consisting of three minus signs,
 @samp{---}, is special and indicates that the glyph is unnamed: such
-glyphs can only be accessed by the @code{\N} escape sequence in
+glyphs can be accessed only by the @code{\N} escape sequence in
 @code{troff}.  A special character named @samp{---} can still be defined
 using @code{char} and similar requests.  The @var{name} @samp{\-}
 defines the minus sign glyph.  Finally, @var{name} can be the
@@ -17944,13 +17944,13 @@ The form of the @var{metrics} field is as follows.
 @end display
 
 @noindent
-There must not be any spaces, tabs, or newlines between these subfields
-(it has been split here into two lines only for better legibility).  The
-subfields are in basic units expressed as decimal integers.  Missing
-subfields are assumed to be@tie{}@code{0}.  Since there is no associated
-binary format, these values are not required to fit into the C language
-data type @samp{char} as they are in @acronym{AT&T} device-independent
-@code{troff}.
+There must not be any spaces, tabs, or newlines between these
+@dfn{subfields} (which have been split here into two lines only for
+better legibility).  The subfields are in basic units expressed as
+decimal integers.  Unspecified subfields default to be@tie{}@code{0}.
+Since there is no associated binary format, these values are not
+required to fit into the C language data type @samp{char} as they are in
+@acronym{AT&T} device-independent @code{troff}.
 
 The @var{width} subfield gives the width of the glyph.  The @var{height}
 subfield gives the height of the glyph (upward is positive); if a glyph
diff --git a/man/groff_font.5.man b/man/groff_font.5.man
index 74c1e858..250b3806 100644
--- a/man/groff_font.5.man
+++ b/man/groff_font.5.man
@@ -717,11 +717,11 @@ spaces or tabs and organized as follows.
 identifies the glyph:
 if
 .I name
-is a single printable
+is a printable
 .RI character\~ c ,
 it corresponds to the
 .I troff \" generic
-input
+ordinary
 .RI character\~ c .
 .
 If
@@ -738,7 +738,7 @@ special character escape sequence
 A name consisting of three minus signs,
 .RB \[lq] \-\-\- \[rq],
 indicates that the glyph is unnamed:
-such glyphs can only be accessed by the
+such glyphs can be accessed only by the
 .B \[rs]N
 escape sequence in
 .IR troff . \" generic; \N is portable
@@ -798,11 +798,12 @@ it may be broken here for readability).
 .P
 There must not be any spaces,
 tabs,
-or newlines between these subfields.
+or newlines between these
+.I subfields,
 .
-The subfields are in basic units expressed as decimal integers.
+which are in basic units expressed as decimal integers.
 .
-Missing subfields are assumed to
+Unspecified subfields default to
 .RB be\~ 0 .
 .
 Since there is no associated binary format,
diff --git a/src/preproc/tbl/tbl.1.man b/src/preproc/tbl/tbl.1.man
index c2882aa5..03e986af 100644
--- a/src/preproc/tbl/tbl.1.man
+++ b/src/preproc/tbl/tbl.1.man
@@ -480,8 +480,8 @@ respectively.
 .P
 The row definition with the most column descriptors determines the
 number of columns in the table;
-any row definition with fewer column descriptors is implicitly extended
-on the right-hand side with
+any row definition with fewer is implicitly extended on the right-hand
+side with
 .B L
 classifiers as many times as necessary to make the table rectangular.
 .
@@ -738,9 +738,9 @@ This modifier sets the default line length used in a text 
block.
 .
 .TP
 .BR f ,\~ F
-Select the font used for the table entry.
+Select the typeface for the table entry.
 .
-This modifier must be followed by a font name
+This modifier must be followed by a font or style name
 (one or two characters not starting with a digit),
 font mounting position
 (a single digit),
@@ -753,8 +753,8 @@ The last form is a GNU extension.
 .B ft
 request.)
 .
-A one-character font name or mounting position not in parentheses must
-be separated by one or more spaces or tabs from whatever follows.
+A one-character argument not in parentheses must be separated by one or
+more spaces or tabs from what follows.
 .
 .
 .TP
@@ -777,7 +777,7 @@ This modifier must be followed by a macro name of one or 
two characters
 or a name of any length in parentheses.
 .
 A one-character macro name not in parentheses must be separated by one
-or more spaces or tabs from whatever follows.
+or more spaces or tabs from what follows.
 .
 The named macro must be defined before the table region containing this
 column modifier is encountered.
@@ -802,7 +802,7 @@ it can thus override other column modifiers.
 .
 .TP
 .BR p ,\~ P
-Set the type size used for the table entry.
+Set the type size for the table entry.
 .
 This modifier must be followed by an
 .RI integer\~ n