A question too long to fit in the topic bar.

[MadnessFreak]

Is it possible to be literate without any knowlege of words themselves?

I couldn't tell a verb from an adjective, and I don't give a damn about all these nouns.
That sums up my English lessons. As you can clearly see, my writing is fine, but am I still defined as literate with no knowledge of the concept of word grouping?  

[SilverBellsAbove]

You might want to learn a bit, but yes. I had the same situation: I could read The Hobbit in third grade but I had no idea what an adverb was.

You are literate. It's like swordsmanship in any wacky action/fantasy story. There are those who study years and years and practice at every dojo in the world to become masterful. Conversely, there are those who pick up a sword and teach themselves.

Don't be daunted because you're the latter. It's nice to know the 'whys' and 'hows' of language, though. Simply so that when a mistake is made, you don't think 'there's something wrong, but I don't know what it is' but rather 'I know how to fix this.'

Hang in there. Your light's still strong, kid. sweatdrop Not that I can talk... I'm not even done with school myself!  

[Archdemonessa]

Same here. I taught myself to read when I was three, and I lived in India. (I still teach there, but sometimes I have to go to America to teach Sanskrit to students.)  

[SilverBellsAbove]

India? Wow! That's really neat. Just curious, but do you think there's any difference between Indian students and American students? Someone once said to me that American students were the worst to teach, but I never had anyone back it up so I don't know.

Hey. I'm an American student. sweatdrop That says a lot.  

[MadnessFreak]

Thanks for the advice, guys.
I'm only 11, so I have plenty of time to catch up, anyway.  

[Archdemonessa]

Silver, the American students are extremely dillegent. The ones in India have a seriously early teen angst. They are ten and eleven, and all they talk about is killing themselves. In America, they are costantly asking questions, and always happy.  

[SilverBellsAbove]

Huh... someone said to me that all American students were lazy...

*shifty eyes*

Right-o. Whatever you say. xp  

[Smoozle]

Yes you are literate.

Being literate is being able to read and write, and you can obvioust do that or I wouldn't be replying to this topic right now.  

[Lady Dracor]

I agree with Smoozle. Literacy is based upon the ability to read and write. One often knows very little of how one's native language works, but most people are at least somewhat literate.  

[MadnessFreak]

Thanks for your constant help and advice, people. :3  

[iMUFFIN HOAR]

In ninth grade (a long time ago), I took a bonehead (what a later teacher called it) English because I wanted to be able to sail through it. The teacher, one Mr. Don Muir, gave us a comprehensive test the first day. I got 85, the rest of the class didn't get over 30! Good ol' Mr. Muir stuck me in his Honors English class. So much for sailing through. The point is, I know how to write sentences grammatically correct, but I really couldn't tell you all the parts of speech and what they do. I have been told what a preposition is several times, but I still can't get the concept for some reason. I don't know why you can't end a sentence with one. I also have no idea what a "dangling participle" is.
Transverse , intransitive, conditional...? I don't know. I, for some weird reason, understand French grammar better! cool Go figure...  

[CristoVII]

I don't remember what grade I was in, but one afternoon I tried to read one of my brother's Clive Cussler books. I think I recieved a trauma shortly after. xp

I'm much more skilled at interpreting Asian and German words and phrases. I can only sporadically remember what a conjunction is.

Ach nein, habe ich vergessen, was es wieder ist! Ich werde Sie, Übereinstimmungen und äußerst schwierige englische Sprachenphrasen verfluchen! (Oh no, I forgot what it is again! Curse you, conformities and exceedingly difficult English language phrases!)

[Note: It may not make sense when literally translated to English.]  

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

I'm in the same boat as you. I know how to type properly, punctuate, spell out my words, etc. But I can't tell a transitive verb from an intransitive to save my life and I have no idea what the hell a dependent clause is.

To those who do know the mechanics, my hat is off to you.

 

[Angelic-Sargeant]

Well, I read The Giver. In the 2nd grade. And now I am in 5th, but I am literate. But I don't realy care for how to group words, yet I know how they work. Might cunfuse you sorry.

NOUN: A Person, place, or thing.

VERB: An action.

SUBJECT: The subject of the sentence.

PREDICATE: How/What the Subject does.

And so on, etc.