diff --git a/ch04.asciidoc b/ch04.asciidoc
index dc3a5c3c..d089bd2b 100644
--- a/ch04.asciidoc
+++ b/ch04.asciidoc
@@ -114,9 +114,9 @@ signatures.
 generation")))((("warnings and cautions", "private key protection")))A
 private key is simply a number, picked at random. Ownership and control
 over the private key is the root of user control over all funds
-associated with the corresponding Bitcoin address. The private key is
-used to create signatures that are required to spend bitcoin by proving
-ownership of funds used in a transaction. The private key must remain
+associated with the corresponding Bitcoin public key. The private key is
+used to create signatures that are used to spend bitcoin by proving
+control of funds used in a transaction. The private key must remain
 secret at all times, because revealing it to third parties is equivalent
 to giving them control over the bitcoin secured by that key. The private
 key must also be backed up and protected from accidental loss, because
@@ -201,11 +201,11 @@ at elliptic curve cryptography in a bit more detail.
 Elliptic curve multiplication is a type of function that cryptographers
 call a "trap door" function: it is easy to do in one direction
 (multiplication) and impossible to do in the reverse direction
-(division). The owner of the private key can easily create the public
+(division). Someone with a private key can easily create the public
 key and then share it with the world knowing that no one can reverse the
 function and calculate the private key from the public key. This
 mathematical trick becomes the basis for unforgeable and secure digital
-signatures that prove ownership of bitcoin funds.
+signatures that prove control over bitcoin funds.
 ====
 
 [[elliptic_curve]]