Literacy is the ability to read, speak and write language fluently so that other people can understand what they writer/speaker is saying. Literacy is also the comprehensiveness of the writing piece that is written.
A literate person is someone who is able to fully comprehend and put into their own words someone else's writing or speech so that someone else can understand it. A literate person is also able to read, write and speak so that other people are able to comprehend what they are saying.
This definition of literacy came from the thought of people that I know and how I see them read and write in everyday life. Going through school, from elementary English class to college level credits to now taking a graduate level literacy course, I have learned from different teachers different learning techniques to enhance my ability to understand the English language both through text and through speech.
My mom and my younger sister are huge influences on how I perceive literacy and what it means to be literate. Both of these amazing women are avid readers and scholars when it comes to school and recreational reading. My mother especially has helped me create the thought that reading and writing, while improving your literacy, also improves your life and your overall quality of communication. Other examples that have helped me improve my literacy throughout the years have been my teachers, book clubs and friends who have all helped me create a better understanding of the English language and enhancing my own understanding on different formats of dialect.
I believe that I am a literate person with room for improvement when it comes to it. I think that there is always room for you to improve when it comes to reading and writing because no one can be perfect at that. But, overall I believe that I am able to fully comprehend 98 percent of the time what someone is saying in either an article or in a writing piece when I am given the opportunity to. I also believe that I am well spoken and can write at an average level for my age, leaving room for improvement as stated before.
