Two types of audience

The two audiences can overlap. For instance, you might write an essay to try to convince your local politician to do something about some local issue. If you are lucky, the essay might actually get all the way past their secretaries and underlings and the politician might read it themselves. Then, your intended and real audiences would be one and the same - the politician. However, in another situation you might write an essay about dinosaurs aimed at primary school students. A professor might come across your essay whilst browsing the web. In that situation, your intended and real audiences are very different!

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