A course in high school required this Law major to read Of Mice and Men and write an essay about it. She describes reading The Giver as a “life-changing” experience.

Interacting with native English speakers in a summer school in Vancouver was useful for this Business major. He studied Shakespeare, Murakami and Greek plays such as Oedipus for IB.

English was used in an NGO programme in this student’s secondary school. She also joined a pair-reading scheme. She says her mobile phone prevents her from reading.

Games led by his English teacher such as Hangman were fun and educational for this Social Policy Administration major. He feels the games helped him remember vocabulary better than dictation. Tuesdays with Morrie is very meaningful.

English teaching in secondary school was only for helping this Social Work major handle examinations. She lost interest in the language because teachers gave exercises with this short-term goal in mind.

A primary school teacher helped this Math Education major after-school and taught what he really had to learn. He reads software user manuals.

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.

After a two-week immersion in the US, this Translation major found himself thinking and speaking in English. He reads Wikipedia to acquire knowledge of different subjects.

Exercises given by a supportive teacher enhanced this Business major’s English. He used different skills to analyse the reading passages in the DSE.

Watching soap operas every day enabled this Computer Science graduate to learn American slang.

A university instructor created a good atmosphere in a movie sharing class for this Physics major. His favourite story is A Song of Ice and Fire which he finds very unpredictable.

Writing research papers and proposals in university has been the most challenging for this Medical and Automation Engineering major. Reading Harry Potter is easier than the SCMP because a book provides more background information than a news article.

Joining an activity in college allowed this Biochemistry major to talk with foreigners and learn about different cultures. She overcame her fear of reading English when her favourite comic wasn’t available in Chinese.

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.

Participating in a charitable event with foreigners gave this Science major a chance to communicate in English. Reading was better in primary school as the teachers would lead the class to do interactive activities such as drama. She likes both the Harry Potter books and movies.

Using “English to understand English” was a breakthrough for this Social Policy major who had felt he was incompetent. In Form 6, he abandoned reading Chinese news in favour of the BBC which he credits for his improved English.

Studying Corpus Linguistics has deepened this English major’s understanding of language. She learnt a lot through reading novels in secondary school. She now prefers to read English novels rather than the translated ones.

An auditor remembers doing a lot of English exercises to communicate with foreigners. He reads books on photography. It’s good to practise with foreigners.

Attending a summer course at an organisation in Primary 2 gave this Computing major more confidence in speaking English. He went through the storyline of the game BioShock. He also read articles from newspapers and websites.

Playing games with a foreigner during English Week in secondary school was fun and interesting for this student. He prefers group learning. He bought the book Dracula at a book festival and used it for a book report in the DSE.

Tertiary educators are better than primary and secondary school teachers according to this Translation major. He loves books showing different cultures. He is translating J by Howard Jacobson.

A drama and musical with dancing provided this student with an English learning experience in secondary school. She likes science fiction and ET is her favourite book because it has a touching story about a family.

A trip to Europe enhanced this Engineering major’s speaking skills. The Harry Potter series were the first English books she read. She also read some books about World War II.

Discussing soap operas such as Gossip Girl, House and Three Rivers with fellow students helped train this Accounting major’s spoken English. She had to read newspaper articles every morning during secondary school.

Preparing for the GRE was a multiple-stage process for this Engineering major. She was positively influenced by an article on education which she read in a tutorial school.

A NET from secondary school encouraged this Linguistics major to have fun with learning English. Divergent is a terrible read as it is only an imitation of The Hunger Games.

A multi-national programme encouraged this Politics major to speak English. She read My Sister’s Keeper because of the movie.

A song voiced by a teacher during a primary school running competition created a lasting memory for this Education major. Her mother asked her to read some storybooks. She read Robinson Crusoe and Jane Eyre in university.

Taking a Cambridge English course exposed this Design major to a NET. He is forced to read course material in English because there are fewer Chinese texts.

Buying English storybooks such as Dora is the focus of this mother’s visit to the Book Fair. She would buy books about how to care for children if she had more time.

Watching documentaries about World War Two during history class in secondary school helped this student improve his listening skills. He likes 1984 as it is the first book he read in English. He also likes Japanese comics.

Watching the Twilight movie triggered this Engineering major’s interest in reading. She surprised herself by completing the book and noticed it also improved her English. She read a number of books for high school English.

An exchange to Hawaii made this English major realise that language learning is not limited to vocabulary and grammar. He read Thinking, Fast and Slow, The Lonely Londoners and Mrs Dalloway.

Making a video for a university English course was a new experience for this Physics major. He used a BBC Smartphone app to build his vocabulary. He also reads about physics and science through the app.

The use of English in research papers and presentations is sometimes more important than the content for this Mechanical Engineering doctoral candidate. Her supervisor and department tutor provide support.

Movie appreciation and debating in English gave this Hotel Management major more speaking opportunities in secondary school. Reading books like Little Women can enrich writing skills.

Lunchtime movies and YouTube videos shown by a foreign teacher and the subsequent reflections motivated this student. Nowadays she watches language tutorials on YouTube. She has read Tuesdays with Morrie.

A university English course prepared this Chemical Engineering major for job interviews. The Harry Potter book series is more attractive and exciting than its movies.

A class story-writing competition led this Business major to combine his writing skills and creativity. He reads TIME and Bloomberg to keep up-to-date with business news.

Participating in public speaking enhanced this Nursing major’s English ability. He subscribed to TIME and National Geographic but the vocabulary is difficult. He reads about technology.