diff --git a/sit b/sit
index 33b26e0..2c5e5e1 100755
--- a/sit
+++ b/sit
@@ -4,18 +4,19 @@
 #
 # Copyright (c) 2011-2016 Christoph Niethammer <niethammer@hlrs.de>
 #
- 
-# exit on any error!
-set -e
-# for debugging:
-# set -x 
 
+set -e
 SIT_PATH=$(cd $(dirname $PWD/$0); pwd)
 SIT_CONFIG_FILE=$SIT_PATH/etc/sit.conf
 SIT_USER_CONFIG_FILE=$HOME/.sit
 
-function usage() {
-    echo "Usage: $0 [action] <sit package name>"
+function show_help() {
+    echo "Usage: $0 [options] [action] <sit package name>"
+    echo "Options:"
+    echo "    -h,--help"
+    echo "    -v,--verbose"
+    echo "    --debug"
+    echo
     echo "Valid actions:"
     echo "    sitinfo"
     echo "    unpack"
@@ -31,35 +32,45 @@ function usage() {
     echo "    all"
 }
 
-# sit class file to be installed
-sit_classfile=""
-# sit action to be performed
-sit_action="all"
+verbose=0
+debug=0
+sit_classfile="" # sit class file to be installed
+sit_action="all" # sit action to be performed
 
 while [ "$1" != "" ] ; do
     case $1 in
-    "sitinfo"| \
-    "all"| \
-    "unpack"| \
-    "prepare"| \
-    "configure"| \
-    "build"| \
-    "pretest"| \
-    "install"| \
-    "posttest"| \
-    "postinst"| \
-    "copy_logs"| \
-    "setperms")
-	sit_action=$1
-    ;;
-    "-*h"|"--help"|"help"|"usage")
-	usage $@
-	exit 0
-	;;
-    *)
-        sit_classfile=$1
-	;;
+        -h|-\?|--help)
+	        show_help
+	        exit
+	        ;;
+        --debug)
+            echo "Debug mode enabled"
+            set -x
+            debug=1
+            ;;
+        -v|--verbose)
+            verbose=$((verbose + 1))
+            ;;
+
+        sitinfo| \
+        all| \
+        unpack| \
+        prepare| \
+        configure| \
+        build| \
+        pretest| \
+        install| \
+        posttest| \
+        postinst| \
+        copy_logs| \
+        setperms)
+	    sit_action=$1
+        ;;
+        *)
+            sit_classfile=$1
+	    ;;
     esac
+
     shift
 done