Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021

Build common ground with your audience
Writing arguments
Academic Reading and Writing

As you construct your argument and counter opposing arguments, try to establish common ground with your readers by finding one or two assumptions you might share with them. If you can show that you share their concerns, your audience will be more likely to accept your argument. By establishing common ground, you show readers, both those who do not initially agree with your views and those who already agree with you, that you are well-informed and reasonable, not one-sided or biased.

To convince readers of the important role zoos play in protecting and saving endangered species, Julia Riew asked herself “So what?” — why should readers care about the issue of endangered species? She reasoned that some readers might not care about saving animals, but most readers care about saving themselves from extinction. Through her research, she learned about the connections between the rapid rate of extinctions and the threat to humans’ access to food, medicine, and clean water. By asking “So what?” she found her shared concerns with readers, leading her to argue that, in saving animals from extinction, we are also saving ourselves and our ecosystem.