convince or persuade?

[gdiamond]

(just a hasitating) Hi to everybody out there !
Hoping you're keeping in high spirits and you'd like to do a confused colleague a good turn by helping clarify the difference between:

persuade and convince

Thanx in advance
GD

[river]

Persuade to actions {The dealer persuaded me to buy a new car}. Convince of beliefs and understandings {I'm convinced of his innocence}.

[gdiamond]

Dear river,
Thank you very much for caring to reply my querry concerning " convince and persuade"
Since you mentioned that "persuade is used to actions" (rather than beliefs and understandings), how would you account for the following :
(a) We finally persuaded Ben of the wisdom of his decision.
(b) Carla failed to persuade us that she was innocent.
Still appreciating the time you might possibly devote
Gd

[zahari]

Originally Posted by gdiamond

Dear river,
Thank you very much for caring to reply my querry concerning " convince and persuade"
Since you mentioned that "persuade is used to actions" (rather than beliefs and understandings), how would you account for the following :
(a) We finally persuaded Ben of the wisdom of his decision.
(b) Carla failed to persuade us that she was innocent.
Still appreciating the time you might possibly devote
Gd

Hi there!!!

convince means cause to believe, whereas persuade means move by argument, reasoning, or pleading to a belief, position or course of action. However, convince is now increasingly used to mean "to persuade to do sth" and followed by an infinitive.(source: Longman Dictionary of The English Language.Ed. Viking, Penguin)


Plus:
1. If sb/sth convinces you of sth, they make you believe that it is true or exists.

2. If sb/sth convinces you to do sth, they persuade you to do it- mainly AmE.

3. If you persuade sb to do sth, you cause them to do it by giving them good reasons for doing it.

4. If you persuade sb that sth is true, you say things that eventually make them believe that it is true.

Hope I've been of some help!!

[gdiamond]

Dear zahari,

Thanx indeed for taking the trouble to reply my querry concerning "convince or persuade"

Your explanations have been helpful - a bit complicated, though.

Yours Cordially,

gdiamond