diff --git a/src/syscall/syscall.go b/src/syscall/syscall.go
index 2e7a3ae5f2..91173033ee 100644
--- a/src/syscall/syscall.go
+++ b/src/syscall/syscall.go
@@ -77,24 +77,22 @@ func BytePtrFromString(s string) (*byte, error) {
 // See mksyscall.pl.
 var _zero uintptr
 
-// Unix returns ts as the number of seconds and nanoseconds elapsed since the
-// Unix epoch.
+// Unix returns the time stored in ts as seconds plus nanoseconds.
 func (ts *Timespec) Unix() (sec int64, nsec int64) {
 	return int64(ts.Sec), int64(ts.Nsec)
 }
 
-// Unix returns tv as the number of seconds and nanoseconds elapsed since the
-// Unix epoch.
+// Unix returns the time stored in tv as seconds plus nanoseconds.
 func (tv *Timeval) Unix() (sec int64, nsec int64) {
 	return int64(tv.Sec), int64(tv.Usec) * 1000
 }
 
-// Nano returns ts as the number of nanoseconds elapsed since the Unix epoch.
+// Nano returns the time stored in ts as nanoseconds.
 func (ts *Timespec) Nano() int64 {
 	return int64(ts.Sec)*1e9 + int64(ts.Nsec)
 }
 
-// Nano returns tv as the number of nanoseconds elapsed since the Unix epoch.
+// Nano returns the time stored in tv as nanoseconds.
 func (tv *Timeval) Nano() int64 {
 	return int64(tv.Sec)*1e9 + int64(tv.Usec)*1000
 }
diff --git a/src/syscall/timestruct.go b/src/syscall/timestruct.go
index 682c68cf9b..bca51df08d 100644
--- a/src/syscall/timestruct.go
+++ b/src/syscall/timestruct.go
@@ -6,12 +6,10 @@
 
 package syscall
 
-// TimespecToNsec converts a Timespec value into a number of
-// nanoseconds since the Unix epoch.
+// TimespecToNSec returns the time stored in ts as nanoseconds.
 func TimespecToNsec(ts Timespec) int64 { return ts.Nano() }
 
-// NsecToTimespec takes a number of nanoseconds since the Unix epoch
-// and returns the corresponding Timespec value.
+// NsecToTimespec converts a number of nanoseconds into a Timespec.
 func NsecToTimespec(nsec int64) Timespec {
 	sec := nsec / 1e9
 	nsec = nsec % 1e9
@@ -22,12 +20,10 @@ func NsecToTimespec(nsec int64) Timespec {
 	return setTimespec(sec, nsec)
 }
 
-// TimevalToNsec converts a Timeval value into a number of nanoseconds
-// since the Unix epoch.
+// TimevalToNsec returns the time stored in tv as nanoseconds.
 func TimevalToNsec(tv Timeval) int64 { return tv.Nano() }
 
-// NsecToTimeval takes a number of nanoseconds since the Unix epoch
-// and returns the corresponding Timeval value.
+// NsecToTimeval converts a number of nanoseconds into a Timeval.
 func NsecToTimeval(nsec int64) Timeval {
 	nsec += 999 // round up to microsecond
 	usec := nsec % 1e9 / 1e3