Audience - AP® English Definition

Audience in AP English refers to the person or group a writer or speaker is addressing. Understanding audience is important because it shapes how a writer presents ideas, chooses language, and structures their argument or message.

Writers often adjust their tone, style, and examples to suit the audience they want to reach. In AP English, students learn to consider audience when writing their own essays and when analysing how authors try to persuade or inform their readers.

Example of audience in an AP English text

In 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' by Martin Luther King Jr., the main audience is a group of white clergymen who had criticised his actions.
King also writes for a wider audience, including the general public and future generations. He uses respectful language and logical reasoning to persuade the clergymen, while also using emotional and moral appeals to speak to a broader audience about justice and equality.