Once this is done, @samp{make clean} will run the recipe regardless of
whether there is a file named @file{clean}.
+Prerequisites of @code{.PHONY} are always interpreted as literal
+target names, never as patterns (even if they contain @samp{%}
+characters). To always rebuild a pattern rule consider using a
+``force target'' (@pxref{Force Targets, ,Rules without Recipes or
+Prerequisites}).
+
Phony targets are also useful in conjunction with recursive
invocations of @code{make} (@pxref{Recursion, ,Recursive Use of @code{make}}).
In this situation the makefile will often contain a variable which