Hugh Rank is a University Professor Emeritus of Governors State University (Illinois) where he taught English, 1972-1999. Prior to GSU, he taught at Arizona State University, St. Joseph's College, Sacred Heart University, University of Notre Dame, and as a Fulbright Professor in Denmark. Dr. Rank graduated from the University of Notre Dame: English, B.A. 1954; American Studies, M.A. 1956; English, Ph.D. 1969. He also served 3 years in the U.S. Army (10th Infantry Division, 1st Lt.) stationed in Germany.

He has published books in American Studies (The U.S.A. Today; The American Scene), Literary Criticism (Edwin O'Connor), and Persuasion (Language and Public Policy, The Pitch, The Pep Talk, Persuasion Analysis).

He was the first Chair of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Committee on Public Doublespeak; and, in 1976, Dr. Rank received their Orwell Award for "distinguished contributions to honesty and clarity in public language" for his Intensify/Downplay schema. For more about the development of this useful taxonomy, see: Background. For his eventual "resignation" as a social critic, see Rent-a-Rhetorician.

To establish academic credibility for these simplified, jargon-free teaching aids (complete with catch-phrases and cartoon balloons), here are some sample reviews of the earlier print editions of The Pitch; and a list of some of the over 30 textbooks and other publications which have reprinted or incorporated Hugh Rank's teaching aids.

Earlier versions of this material have previously been published in Language and Public Policy (1976), The Pitch (1982, 1991); The Pep Talk (1984); Persuasion Analysis (1988); and various academic journals prior to the internet. These books are currently out-of-print; thus, this website presents newly revised abridgments of some of the materials.

Permission for individual teachers to reprint or download for non-profit educational purposes hereby granted, pro bono publico.

Related educational websites are encouraged to link here. Non-profit educational and consumer organizations in other countries are encouraged to supplement the standard available online translations (e.g. Babelfish.altavista.com for French, Spanish, Italian, German) with appropriate informal, idiomatic language. Textbook writers and commercial publishers should contact the author. © 1976, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1991, 2003, 2007, 2008 by Hugh Rank

hughrank@verizon.net