<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (September 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Functional illiteracy is imprecisely defined, with different criteria from nation to nation, and study to study . However, a useful distinction can be made between pure illiteracy and functional illiteracy . Purely illiterate persons cannot read or write in any capacity, for all practical purposes . In contrast, functionally illiterate persons can read and possibly write simple sentences with a limited vocabulary, but cannot read or write well enough to deal with the everyday requirements of life in their own society . </P> <P> For example, an illiterate person may not understand the written words of cat or dog, may not recognize the letters of the alphabet, and may be unable to write their own name . In contrast, a functionally illiterate person may well understand these words and more, but might be incapable of reading and comprehending job advertisements, past - due notices, newspaper articles, banking paperwork, complex signs and posters, and so on . </P>

An illiterate person can also be called as