A summer in Cambridge made this Social Science major speak English. Reading Oscar Wilde’s plays is an eye-opening experience. Her favourite fiction book is All the Light We Cannot See.

The way a foreign teacher taught English surprised this Science major in primary school. She learnt the difference between the lives of city and country folks during a reading exercise.

As a committee member of the English Society in secondary school, this student held activities and games for primary children. She read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and used to do group reading with friends.

This student’s mother enrolled her in an activity-rich tutorial programme with foreign English teachers in the Mainland. As a postgraduate student in Hong Kong, she enjoys English textbooks. She has read Harry Potter. She likes printed books.

This Economics major found repetitive exercises and memorization for the Gaokao useless for her future. Philosophical readings such as On Liberty were difficult to comprehend.

Joining a workshop held by a secondary school teacher required this Arts major to speak English. She built a reading habit after her mother encouraged her to join a library programme.

Adapting to university classes in English was very difficult for this student. Her secondary school English classes on the Mainland included small groups led by foreign teachers. Using Google Scholar, she found essays to help with academic writing.

Despite having travelled to Oxford for a study tour, this student feels she learns more from watching movies and TV series. She read the Black Cat series in secondary school. Her favourite author is Mitch Albom but she reads the Chinese versions of his books.

A professor leading a GE course on morality inspired this Chemistry major. Reading helps improve grammar and build vocabulary. His favourite book is For One More Day.

Achieving good results in IELTS is a goal for this Fashion major who wants to travel after graduation. She recalls reading English passages in the DSE exam.

Although learning English is boring, this Computing major knows the language is useful. She practises by talking with friends. She has read newspapers and finds academic articles difficult.

A teacher told this Philosophy major that English is the language for connecting with the world. Reading Sherlock Holmes taught her practical English and sentence structures. She likes Oscar Wilde and Animal Farm.

Living with an exchange student improved this Chinese major’s aural English. He enjoys the readings in English lessons.

A summer course in the British Council provided this Music major with an interactive learning experience. She says Before I Go to Sleep has an exciting plot.

American textbooks illustrated cultural differences in this Economics major’s primary school. She is took part in singing and speech activities in her school’s English Corner. She is a fan of American TV shows such as House of Cards. She has read Harry Potter.

Doing an Associate Degree helped this student develop a wider scope for learning English. She likes reading a news website where users comment on the content. She says there is a passive attitude towards using English.

Extra-curricular classes improved this Economics major’s English speaking skills. An exchange programme also enhanced his English. He enjoyed reading novels like Harry Potter but mainly reads non-fiction now.

English classes were compulsory in secondary school for this Early Childhood Education major. She attended tutorials in primary school. She chose English as a minor in university and has taught in a tutorial school.

Studying in the UK immersed this Psychology major into an English speaking environment. She learnt slang and everyday English in conversation. Reading something that she likes other than textbooks can improve her reading skills.

An inter-class drama competition in secondary school taught this Chemistry Technology major how to write a script and communicate with others. A university programme ignited her interest in reading novels. She read The Fault in Our Stars.

Performing a dramatic interpretation of the Yellow Wallpaper in class allowed this English for Communication major to use the language in a fun way. She read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Lamb to the Slaughter, and other books with her classmates and shared thoughts on them.

Taking phonics classes in a language centre helped this Nursing major pronounce words quickly. Her English teacher read aloud The Witches in a pleasant way during a Language Arts lesson.

Learning English entailed lessons in primary and secondary school according to this Sociology major. Reading papers, articles and journals with a dictionary improves his English.

A love for learning English and doing exercises motivated this student to work on his grammar. He prefers to read magazines such as Forbes and BBC Magazines.

Biweekly tutorial classes in Form One and Form Two helped this Arts major to improve her English. She realised the importance of English during an exchange.

Immersing in an English speaking environment at a very young age enabled this Drama major to acquire the language. Understanding characters with drama elements facilitated reading in lessons.

A friend asked this woman to accompany her to the Book Fair where she could also meet her favourite Chinese author. She has read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson but prefers Chinese books.

Listening to the BBC and watching a drama helped this student with the DSE. She likes the vampires in the Twilight books. She says there is more detail in text.

Watching a drama in a restaurant was the highlight of this student’s primary school experience. She took part in a book reading scheme in her secondary school. She likes Harry Potter.

Learning the alphabet in primary school marked the start of this Engineering major’s English learning. He read Sherlock Holmes with a dictionary.

Watching Matilda in class let this Chinese Education major learn new words and phrases. She reads horror stories in English because she wants to learn more about the genre in the Western context.

Speaking English with teachers and friends in class was how this Japanese major learnt. She started reading science fiction novels in secondary school.

Being an intern in Canada meant this Social Work major used only English in the workplace which was a shock considering her course in Hong Kong was in Chinese.

Watching a movie, reading about it, and writing a review exposed new skills to this Maths Teaching major. She doesn’t like reading but will use an e-dictionary. She feels it is better to use Cantonese to teach maths in primary school.

Secondary school English ambassadors polish their language skills by testing other students and leading activities. Watching Pride and Prejudice led to reading the original Jane Austen book.

Performing a role-play during English lessons both in secondary school and university let this Building Engineering major think about how to communicate as the character. He read a book about Michael Jordan due to his interest in basketball.

This student describes his English learning experience as “pretty simple”. His English reading mostly centres on textbooks. He says he has learnt English from playing computer games.

A British Council course with NETs led to a rapid improvement in this student’s level of English. He also uses English while playing rugby. He likes to understand the lyrics to songs by Bruno Mars, Jason Mraz, and Maroon 5.

This Law student keeps an open mind when book shopping. She looks for books by familiar authors. She gets the gist of a story in Chinese by scanning the page but has to use the dictionary for English publications.

Despite being afraid of NETs in primary school, this Tourism major worked more closely with them in secondary and now feels there are no barriers to intercultural communication.