A tutorial on language skills

The skills go in pairs. When one reads and listens, he or she is consuming language hence these are referred to as receptive or passive skills. When one speaks or writes, he or she is producing language. This pair is thus referred to as productive or active skills.

Language skills are also intertwined in how they function: listening and speaking work simultaneously to help effective oral communication. Reading and writing are tools for achieving an effective written communication. It is the symbiotic relationship of reading and writing that has come to be known as literacy, a relationship that is foundational to EDUCATION. Literacy is defined as the ability to read and write.