diff --git a/synapse/handlers/federation.py b/synapse/handlers/federation.py
index 2e3cbe2aab..21e1c48eef 100644
--- a/synapse/handlers/federation.py
+++ b/synapse/handlers/federation.py
@@ -1438,6 +1438,8 @@ class FederationHandler(BaseHandler):
         should not depend on one another, e.g. this should be used to persist
         a bunch of outliers, but not a chunk of individual events that depend
         on each other for state calculations.
+
+        Notifies about the events where appropriate.
         """
         contexts = yield logcontext.make_deferred_yieldable(defer.gatherResults(
             [
@@ -1464,7 +1466,8 @@ class FederationHandler(BaseHandler):
     def _persist_auth_tree(self, origin, auth_events, state, event):
         """Checks the auth chain is valid (and passes auth checks) for the
         state and event. Then persists the auth chain and state atomically.
-        Persists the event seperately.
+        Persists the event separately. Notifies about the persisted events
+        where appropriate.
 
         Will attempt to fetch missing auth events.
 
@@ -1475,8 +1478,7 @@ class FederationHandler(BaseHandler):
             event (Event)
 
         Returns:
-            2-tuple of (event_stream_id, max_stream_id) from the persist_event
-            call for `event`
+            Deferred
         """
         events_to_context = {}
         for e in itertools.chain(auth_events, state):
diff --git a/synapse/storage/events.py b/synapse/storage/events.py
index bbf6e42195..ee9159c102 100644
--- a/synapse/storage/events.py
+++ b/synapse/storage/events.py
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ class EventsStore(EventsWorkerStore):
                 which might update the current state etc.
 
         Returns:
-            Deferred[int]: he stream ordering of the latest persisted event
+            Deferred[int]: the stream ordering of the latest persisted event
         """
         partitioned = {}
         for event, ctx in events_and_contexts: