literacy

literacy — noun

1. the skill that allows a person to read written text and put their own thoughts d

1.名詞B1
釋義

the skill that allows a person to read written text and put their own thoughts down in writing — the basic educational ability of understanding and producing written language.

例句

The government launched a programme to improve adult literacy in rural areas.

collocation: adult literacy / literacy programme

Romi teaches literacy classes at the community centre every Tuesday evening.

collocation: literacy class

同義詞
  • reading ability

    narrower — focuses on the receptive (reading) side only

  • writing ability

    narrower — focuses on the productive (writing) side only

  • basic education

    broader — includes numeracy and general knowledge beyond just reading and writing

反義詞
  • illiteracy

    the opposite: lack of ability to read and write

文法句型

literacy + noun (literacy rate, literacy programme)

adjective + literacy (adult literacy, basic literacy)

用法筆記

Often paired with 'rate' to describe the percentage of a population that can read and write. Frequently modified by 'adult', 'basic', or 'functional' to specify the level.

常見錯誤

❌She has good literacy in mathematics.
✅She has strong numeracy skills.
💡literacy refers to reading and writing, not mathematical ability.
❌He lost his literacy after the accident.
✅He lost the ability to read and write after the accident.
💡literacy describes a general skill state, not a temporary ability.

2. a person's level of understanding in a particular area, such as finance, compute

2.名詞B2
釋義

a person's level of understanding in a particular area, such as finance, computers, or health — meaning they can talk about it sensibly and use its ideas in practical situations.

例句

Financial literacy helps people make smarter decisions about saving and investing their money.

collocation: financial literacy

Wei took a course in digital literacy to learn how to use online tools safely.

collocation: digital literacy

同義詞
  • competence

    more general — does not specify a knowledge domain; used with 'in'

  • proficiency

    suggests practical skill level in a particular area

  • expertise

    implies deeper, more specialised knowledge

文法句型

noun + literacy (financial literacy, digital literacy)

adjective + literacy (computer literacy, media literacy)

用法筆記

Almost always used with a preceding noun (e.g. financial, digital, media, health, computer, data) that specifies the field. Without a modifier, the word defaults to sense 1 (basic reading and writing).

常見錯誤

❌Financial literacy means being able to read financial documents.
✅Financial literacy means understanding financial concepts and managing money well.
💡in this sense, literacy is about knowledge and competence, not just reading ability.
❌She took a literacy class at the bank.' (ambiguous)
✅She took a financial literacy class at the bank.
💡without a modifier, 'literacy' is usually understood as basic reading and writing.