diff --git a/Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt b/Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt
index 6166e2d7da76..7a7753321a26 100644
--- a/Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt
+++ b/Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt
@@ -519,17 +519,17 @@ more details, with real examples.
 	to the user why it stops.
 
     cc-cross-prefix
-	cc-cross-prefix is used to check if there exist a $(CC) in path with
+	cc-cross-prefix is used to check if there exists a $(CC) in path with
 	one of the listed prefixes. The first prefix where there exist a
 	prefix$(CC) in the PATH is returned - and if no prefix$(CC) is found
 	then nothing is returned.
 	Additional prefixes are separated by a single space in the
 	call of cc-cross-prefix.
-	This functionality is usefull for architecture Makefile that try
-	to set CROSS_COMPILE to well know values but may have several
+	This functionality is useful for architecture Makefiles that try
+	to set CROSS_COMPILE to well-known values but may have several
 	values to select between.
-	It is recommended only to try to set CROSS_COMPILE is it is a cross
-	build (host arch is different from target arch). And is CROSS_COMPILE
+	It is recommended only to try to set CROSS_COMPILE if it is a cross
+	build (host arch is different from target arch). And if CROSS_COMPILE
 	is already set then leave it with the old value.
 
 	Example:
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 50bb50defe18..264f37b8b263 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1505,15 +1505,16 @@ quiet_cmd_rmfiles = $(if $(wildcard $(rm-files)),CLEAN   $(wildcard $(rm-files))
 # and we build for the host arch
 quiet_cmd_depmod = DEPMOD  $(KERNELRELEASE)
       cmd_depmod = \
-	if [ -r System.map -a -x $(DEPMOD) -a "$(SUBARCH)" = "$(ARCH)" ]; then \
+	if [ -r System.map -a -x $(DEPMOD) ]; then                              \
 		$(DEPMOD) -ae -F System.map                                     \
 		$(if $(strip $(INSTALL_MOD_PATH)), -b $(INSTALL_MOD_PATH) -r)   \
 		$(KERNELRELEASE);                                               \
 	fi
 
 # Create temporary dir for module support files
-cmd_crmodverdir = $(Q)mkdir -p $(MODVERDIR); rm -f $(MODVERDIR)/*
-
+# clean it up only when building all modules
+cmd_crmodverdir = $(Q)mkdir -p $(MODVERDIR) \
+                  $(if $(KBUILD_MODULES),; rm -f $(MODVERDIR)/*)
 
 a_flags = -Wp,-MD,$(depfile) $(KBUILD_AFLAGS) $(AFLAGS_KERNEL) \
 	  $(NOSTDINC_FLAGS) $(KBUILD_CPPFLAGS) \