The four skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking
There is more than ample evidence to suggest that, although the four aspects of communicative
ability are highly related, they are nonetheless logically and empirically distinct. Logically, the four
skills are related in complementary ways. Both listening and reading are receptive skills — modes of
understanding. Speaking and writing are productive skills. Thus, the four basic skills are related to each
other by virtue of both the mode of communication and the direction of communication.