A student recalls a class trip to Central to interview native speakers; she remembers sharing books with her family.
4CJ004
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A student who entered the Hong Kong education system in Primary 4 received support from teachers and classmates. She says it was tiring reading Harry Potter because she had to keep looking for meanings in the dictionary.
4CJ010
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A student remembers how his teacher and mother used videos to help him learn English. He believes that immersion in an English speaking country is the best way to learn.
4CJ033
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A teacher encouraged this student to become a school emcee to overcome her pronunciation difficulties. She also enjoyed reading Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
4CJ035
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A sister-in-law helped this student improve his English. After he improved he felt more comfortable reading books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
4CJ038
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A teacher helped this student by creating an English language exercise involving entrepreneurial skills. He felt reading Shakespeare helped him and he now reads the South China Morning Post.
4CJ127
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An American visitor corrected this student’s table manners and grammar during a family meal. She also describes the book Annie John as creepy. She feels songs and videos will help children learn English.
4CK032
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Interacting with foreigners, including a secondary school teacher and fellow university students, has motivated this student. His teacher used movies while his university friends taught him slang. He has read a book about North Korea and he likes books on politics and economics.
4CK067
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Books with grammar exercises were bought for this student by her mother to help her build a good foundation when she was in primary school. She also attended a phonics course. She likes Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
4CK076
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Writing book reports for his aunty, who is an English teacher, was useful for this student. Harry Potter is his favourite book but he seldom reads these days.
5CJ117
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A trip to Singapore involved two weeks of classes for this medical student. He read the South China Morning Post every night with his father when he was in Form One. He needs to use English and Cantonese for his studies and work.
5CJ138
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A mother told this student interesting English stories during her childhood. She remembers the pictures and the clothes. In university she socialises with students from Germany and Finland in English.
5CJ139
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Foreign friends provided a better learning experience than school on the Mainland for this student. As a postgraduate student in Hong Kong, she is strengthening her English by watching movies. She practised for IELTS by reading.
5CJ141
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A weekly group meeting with friends and an American educated Korean tutor helped this student improve her spoken English during undergraduate studies. She read some articles to prepare for IELTS so she could study a postgraduate degree in Hong Kong.
5CJ217
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Early spelling lessons with her father established a good system for dictation for this student. She read children’s novels when she was young and now watches TV drama to polish her English.
5CJ222
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Communicating in English with a home assistant gave this student more opportunities to speak in English rather than school. She reads about music history which is related to her major.
5CJ251
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Preparing for the IELTS exam in Beijing expanded this Mechanical Engineering student’s circle of friends. She only reads English if it will help with her studies.
5CJ269
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An environmental science PhD student was mesmerized by her high school English teacher’s retelling of a love story. She was influenced by her mother to pick up reading. She enjoys Sherlock Holmes. English is the medium of instruction in native Philippines.
5CJ277
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English has been important for this Engineering major since an early age as it was the language for communicating with her family’s domestic helper. She likes books by Mitch Albom.
5CJ321
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Teaching junior students English in secondary school boosted this Surveying major’s language competency. He learnt about social issues while reading the South China Morning Post. He did a book report on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
5CJ355
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Forced reading with his mother gave this Engineering major a good foundation in English. He used to read passages aloud and then write them out.
5CJ418
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In kindergarten, this Science major and her sibling were taught English pronunciation and spelling by their mother. She read Matilda by Roald Dahl and watched the movie adaptation as well.
5CJ419
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This Engineering major made friends in England who did not make fun of his accent and taught him as well. He read Romeo and Juliet at school.
5CJ427
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English was more important than Malay when this Interior Design major started learning a language at home. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is his favourite read. He also loved One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
5CJ473
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This Business major’s dad drilled her with English exercises as he felt the schools weren’t doing enough. He also encouraged her to read. She loves romantic novels such as the works of Nicholas Sparks.
5CJ479
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Chatting with the host family after a day at school complemented this Engineering major’s English learning during an exchange to Australia in Form Three. The Golden Compass was required reading but it was made easier by watching the movie.
5CJW002
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English created a familiar bond between this Psychology major and her family’s domestic helper. She has read The Mortal Instruments and All the Light We Cannot See. She also learns English from YouTubers.
5CJW073
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Growing up in the 1970s in China, this Architecture lecturer feels he was lucky to be tutored by a native speaker. Despite studying English for many years, there’s still a lot to learn. He encourages his eight year old son to read books that relate to his interests.
5CJW074
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After a bad experience in kindergarten, this Accounting major’s mum placed her in a neighbourhood learning group led by an American tutor. She learnt through field trips and everyday activities. She read a lot of Mitch Albom books and also magazines such as TIME and Vogue.
5CJW088
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Interacting with the family’s maid helped this Chinese Studies major learn English. She took part in a reading scheme in secondary school and had to write a brief report for each book.
5CJW133
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Despite receiving support on how to improve his English, this Computer Engineering major has negative feelings. His girlfriend encourages him to read newspapers and he asks her to help with new vocabulary.
5CJW142
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Taking part in an English language competition during his bachelor studies motivated this student to practise a lot and seek help from mentors and peers. He finds inspiration in song lyrics such as Katy Perry’s Fireworks.
5CJW145
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A fabulous teacher gave this Business major a lot of advice on how to write better and improve his listening skills. She doesn’t feel as close to English in university although she has to read academic papers and journal articles.
5CK003
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Parents encouraged this student to read library books in primary school and newspapers in secondary school. He did not like newspapers because there were too many words.
5CK023
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Role-playing with her cousins in English exposed this student to new vocabulary when she was little. She read a children’s book by Roald Dahl in early secondary school as she felt her English level was beneath that of general native-speaking kids.
5CK085
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Using English with peers from other countries in university allows this student to learn about other cultures. She felt her English improved by reading Harry Potter.
5CK163
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Motivated by his ex-girlfriend, this Physics graduate worked hard to prepare for the English exam in order to get into university. He understood 20-30% of the words in the GRE.
5CK195
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Living with a South African girl in the hostel let this Chemistry major use English in daily life. She studied The Chronicles of Narnia for the SBA, which helped her enjoy the process of reading. Her favourite author is Roald Dahl.