diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 26bf2b8dd896baeafd214119ef96e511d313e28e..f45c37f3abe1bc49df6f255fd76e905bc134e5a9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ dependency rather than a fully-fledged database. It also allows for
 resource isolation between the (presumably highly reliable, constantly
 running) ingestion layer and the (operator-facing, occasionally used)
 query/analysis layer, which helps small installations manage their
-"idle" footprint more optimally.
+idle footprint more optimally.
 
 The idea is, roughly: why pay the high memory cost of database
 indexing if you're not using those resources all the time? The *pqlog*
@@ -213,15 +213,13 @@ the URI scheme:
 * *local* - Local filesystem, same as using a plain path
 * *minio* - Generic S3-like API support. Use standard environment
   variables (MINIO_ACCESS_KEY etc) for credentials, URIs should have
-  this form:
-> minio://*hostname*/*bucket*/*path*
+  this form: `minio://*hostname*/*bucket*/*path*`
 
-* *s3* - AWS S3 (not ready yet). Supports URIs of the form:
-> s3://*bucket*/*path*
+* *s3* - AWS S3 (not ready yet). Supports URIs like
+  `s3://*bucket*/*path*`
 
 * *gcs* - Google Cloud Storage (not ready yet). Supports URIs of the
-  form:
-> gcs://*project_id*/*bucket*/*path*
+  form `gcs://*project_id*/*bucket*/*path*`
 
 
 ### Debugging