diff --git a/ddclient.in b/ddclient.in
index 94dcd4e..be005a8 100755
--- a/ddclient.in
+++ b/ddclient.in
@@ -341,18 +341,21 @@ my %builtinfw = (
 );
 
 my %ip_strategies = (
-    'ip'        => ": obtain IP from -ip {address}",
-    'web'       => ": obtain IP from an IP discovery page on the web",
-    'fw'        => ": obtain IP from the firewall specified by -fw {type|address}",
-    'if'        => ": obtain IP from the -if {interface}",
-    'cmd'       => ": obtain IP from the -cmd {external-command}",
-    'cisco'     => ": obtain IP from Cisco FW at the -fw {address}",
-    'cisco-asa' => ": obtain IP from Cisco ASA at the -fw {address}",
-    map { $_ => sprintf ": obtain IP from %s at the -fw {address}", $builtinfw{$_}->{'name'} } keys %builtinfw,
+    'ip'        => ": use IP given by '-ip <address>'",
+    'web'       => ": obtain IP from the web-based IP discovery service given by '-web <service>|<url>'",
+    'fw'        => ": obtain IP from a firewall/router device by visiting the URL given by '-fw <url>'",
+    'if'        => ": obtain IP from the interface given by '-if <interface>'",
+    'cmd'       => ": obtain IP by running the command given by '-cmd <command>'",
+    'cisco'     => ": obtain IP from Cisco FW device at the address given by '-fw <address>'",
+    'cisco-asa' => ": obtain IP from Cisco ASA device at the address given by '-fw <address>'",
+    map({ $_ => sprintf(": obtain IP from %s device at the address given by '-fw <address>'",
+                        $builtinfw{$_}->{'name'}) }
+        keys(%builtinfw)),
 );
 
 sub ip_strategies_usage {
-    return map { sprintf("    -use=%-22s %s.", $_, $ip_strategies{$_}) } sort keys %ip_strategies;
+    return map({ sprintf("    -use=%-22s %s.", $_, $ip_strategies{$_}) }
+               ('ip', 'web', 'if', 'cmd', 'fw', sort('cisco', 'cisco-asa', keys(%builtinfw))));
 }
 
 sub setv {
@@ -758,57 +761,62 @@ $opt{'fw-banlocal'} = sub { warning("'-fw-banlocal' is deprecated and does nothi
 my @opt = (
     "usage: ${program} [options]",
     "options are:",
-    ["daemon",       "=s", "-daemon delay         : run as a daemon, specify delay as an interval."],
+    ["daemon",       "=s", "-daemon <delay>       : run as a daemon, specify <delay> as an interval"],
     ["foreground",   "!",  "-foreground           : do not fork"],
-    ["proxy",        "=s", "-proxy host           : use 'host' as the HTTP proxy"],
-    ["server",       "=s", "-server host          : update DNS information on 'host'"],
-    ["protocol",     "=s", "-protocol type        : update protocol used"],
-    ["file",         "=s", "-file path            : load configuration information from 'path'"],
-    ["cache",        "=s", "-cache path           : record address used in 'path'"],
-    ["pid",          "=s", "-pid path             : record process id in 'path' if daemonized"],
+    ["proxy",        "=s", "-proxy <host>         : use <host> as the HTTP proxy"],
+    ["server",       "=s", "-server <host>        : update DNS information on <host>"],
+    ["protocol",     "=s", "-protocol <type>      : update protocol used"],
+    ["file",         "=s", "-file <path>          : load configuration information from <path>"],
+    ["cache",        "=s", "-cache <path>         : record address used in <path>"],
+    ["pid",          "=s", "-pid <path>           : record process id in <path> if daemonized"],
     "",
-    ["use",          "=s", "-use which            : how the should IP address be obtained."],
+    ["use",          "=s", "-use <which>          : how the IP address should be obtained"],
     &ip_strategies_usage(),
     "",
-    ["ip",           "=s", "-ip address           : set the IP address to 'address'"],
+    "  Options that apply to 'use=ip':",
+    ["ip",           "=s", "-ip <address>         : set the IP address to <address>"],
     "",
-    ["if",           "=s", "-if interface         : obtain IP address from 'interface'"],
-    ["if-skip",      "=s", "-if-skip pattern      : skip any IP addresses before 'pattern' in the output of 'ip address show dev {if}' (or 'ifconfig {if}')"],
+    "  Options that apply to 'use=if':",
+    ["if",           "=s", "-if <interface>       : obtain IP address from <interface>"],
+    ["if-skip",      "=s", "-if-skip <pattern>    : skip any IP addresses before <pattern> in the output of 'ip address show dev <interface>' (or 'ifconfig <interface>')"],
     "",
-    ["web",          "=s", "-web provider|url     : obtain IP address from provider's IP checking page"],
-    ["web-skip",     "=s", "-web-skip pattern     : skip any IP addresses before 'pattern' on the web provider|url"],
+    "  Options that apply to 'use=web':",
+    ["web",          "=s", "-web <service>|<url>  : obtain IP address from a web-based IP discovery service, either a known <service> or a custom <url>"],
+    ["web-skip",     "=s", "-web-skip <pattern>   : skip any IP addresses before <pattern> in the text returned from the web-based IP discovery service"],
     "",
-    ["fw",           "=s", "-fw address|url       : obtain IP address from firewall at 'address'"],
-    ["fw-skip",      "=s", "-fw-skip pattern      : skip any IP addresses before 'pattern' on the firewall address|url"],
-    ["fw-login",     "=s", "-fw-login login       :   use 'login' when getting IP from fw"],
-    ["fw-password",  "=s", "-fw-password secret   :   use password 'secret' when getting IP from fw"],
+    "  Options that apply to 'use=fw' and 'use=<device>':",
+    ["fw",           "=s", "-fw <address>|<url>   : obtain IP address from device with IP address <address> or URL <url>"],
+    ["fw-skip",      "=s", "-fw-skip <pattern>    : skip any IP addresses before <pattern> in the text returned from the device"],
+    ["fw-login",     "=s", "-fw-login <login>     : use <login> when getting the IP from the device"],
+    ["fw-password",  "=s", "-fw-password <secret> : use password <secret> when getting the IP from the device"],
     "",
-    ["cmd",          "=s", "-cmd program          : obtain IP address from by calling {program}"],
-    ["cmd-skip",     "=s", "-cmd-skip pattern     : skip any IP addresses before 'pattern' in the output of {cmd}"],
+    "  Options that apply to 'use=cmd':",
+    ["cmd",          "=s", "-cmd <command>        : obtain IP address from the output of <command>"],
+    ["cmd-skip",     "=s", "-cmd-skip <pattern>   : skip any IP addresses before <pattern> in the command's output"],
     "",
-    ["login",        "=s", "-login user           : login as 'user'"],
-    ["password",     "=s", "-password secret      : use password 'secret'"],
-    ["host",         "=s", "-host host            : update DNS information for 'host'"],
+    ["login",        "=s", "-login <user>         : log in to the dynamic DNS service as <user>"],
+    ["password",     "=s", "-password <secret>    : log in to the dynamic DNS service with password <secret>"],
+    ["host",         "=s", "-host <host>          : update DNS information for <host>"],
     "",
-    ["options",      "=s", "-options opt,opt      : optional per-service arguments (see below)"],
+    ["options",      "=s", "-options <opt>=<val>[,<opt>=<val>,...]\n                        : optional per-service arguments (see below)"],
     "",
     ["ssl",          "!",  "-{no}ssl              : do updates over encrypted SSL connection"],
-    ["ssl_ca_dir",   "=s", "-ssl_ca_dir           : directory containing certificates of trusted certificate authorities (default: auto-detect)"],
-    ["ssl_ca_file",  "=s", "-ssl_ca_file          : file containing certificates of trusted certificate authorities (default: auto-detect)"],
-    ["retry",        "!",  "-{no}retry            : retry failed updates."],
+    ["ssl_ca_dir",   "=s", "-ssl_ca_dir <dir>     : look in <dir> for certificates of trusted certificate authorities (default: auto-detect)"],
+    ["ssl_ca_file",  "=s", "-ssl_ca_file <file>   : look at <file> for certificates of trusted certificate authorities (default: auto-detect)"],
+    ["retry",        "!",  "-{no}retry            : retry failed updates"],
     ["force",        "!",  "-{no}force            : force an update even if the update may be unnecessary"],
-    ["timeout",      "=i", "-timeout max          : wait at most 'max' seconds for the host to respond"],
+    ["timeout",      "=i", "-timeout <max>        : when fetching a URL, wait at most <max> seconds for a response"],
     ["syslog",       "!",  "-{no}syslog           : log messages to syslog"],
-    ["facility",     "=s", "-facility {type}      : log messages to syslog to facility {type}"],
-    ["priority",     "=s", "-priority {pri}       : log messages to syslog with priority {pri}"],
-    ["mail",         "=s", "-mail address         : e-mail messages to {address}"],
-    ["mail-failure", "=s", "-mail-failure address : e-mail messages for failed updates to {address}"],
+    ["facility",     "=s", "-facility <type>      : log messages to syslog to facility <type>"],
+    ["priority",     "=s", "-priority <pri>       : log messages to syslog with priority <pri>"],
+    ["mail",         "=s", "-mail <address>       : e-mail messages to <address>"],
+    ["mail-failure", "=s", "-mail-failure <addr>  : e-mail messages for failed updates to <addr>"],
     ["exec",         "!",  "-{no}exec             : do {not} execute; just show what would be done"],
     ["debug",        "!",  "-{no}debug            : print {no} debugging information"],
     ["verbose",      "!",  "-{no}verbose          : print {no} verbose information"],
     ["quiet",        "!",  "-{no}quiet            : print {no} messages for unnecessary updates"],
     ["ipv6",         "!",  "-{no}ipv6             : use ipv6"],
-    ["help",         "",   "-help                 : this message"],
+    ["help",         "",   "-help                 : display this message and exit"],
     ["postscript",   "",   "-postscript           : script to run after updating ddclient, has new IP as param"],
     ["query",        "!",  "-{no}query            : print {no} ip addresses and exit"],
     ["fw-banlocal",  "!",  ""], ## deprecated