Studying in foreign countries has helped this Hotel Management major’s English learning. She also developed a daily reading habit after taking part in a compulsory university programme.

Believing he had forgotten what he was going to say during a debate session, this Computer Science major impressed his lecturer by ad-libbing. He reads course material and believes English is important for his future career.

Chatting with international students during university language classes improved this Business major’s English. She likes books that have movies such as The Hunger Games.

As a part-time banquet helper, this Accounting major got an unexpected opportunity to speak English when his customers turned out to be foreigners. He read Harry Potter in English because he could not wait for the Chinese translation to come out.

Exposure to English was limited during this student’s kindergarten and primary years. It changed when she studied in an EMI secondary school which had extra-curricular English activities.

Listening to the Bee Gees and rewriting their song lyrics in primary school encouraged this Arts major to learn new words. She identified with the author when reading Chinese Cinderella.

A student took IELTS five times after failing A-level English. She sought help from tutors for the public exams because she felt her teachers could not spark her interest. She has read the Kite Runner.

A teacher kept in touch with this student during the summer holidays by chatting with him and his classmates on the phone. He enjoyed reading The Lord of the Rings and watching the film.

This Computer Science major had plenty of opportunities to speak English while staying with relatives in Liverpool (UK). He took a week to comprehend an essay related to his major with the help of a dictionary.

After-school tutorials, a summer language programme, and an exchange programme equipped this Business major with everyday English. She reads mostly newspapers and course materials.

A student who recalls learning the alphabet in kindergarten later used translation skills for a university exchange. Nowadays she likes to listen to music and watch movies and TV. She also reads the newspaper.

Doing online research in English before class helped this Finance and Banking major to prepare for her university courses. Newspapers broaden her horizons. She reads financial and international news.

This Computer Science major reads websites, such as Smashing Magazine and TIME. She likes reading about entertainment and photography.

Past papers were a daily routine during this Japanese Studies major’s high school life. She doesn’t like reading but has to get through a lot of passages for university.

A good primary school teacher motivated this student who did well in dictation. She realised the advantages of being proficient in English and read books to increase her knowledge and ability with the language.

A secondary school scheme included a trip to England where this student treasured visiting a local family. Although she read the Life of Pi, she thinks the movie was more impressive.

Tutorial lessons helped this Civil Engineering to prepare for the public exam. He reads for his studies.

Attending tutorial classes allowed this Management major to practise her spoken English, listening, and grammar. Reading the South China Morning Post is frustrating because there are many words that she doesn’t understand.

A teacher’s emphasis on acting rather than grammar encouraged this trainee doctor to express herself bravely in drama. Reading books such as Safe Haven let her know more about other people’s lives.

A tutor taught this Chinese Medicine major pronunciation. Her readings about medicine include grammar and vocabulary that are difficult.

Apart from the learning of sentences, grammar, vocabulary and writing at school, this medical student watched English TV programmes and movies.

The Hunger Games and Harry Potter are good books but they are too thick to read in English for this Graphic Designer. She attended the Book Fair with her friend and was looking mainly for design books.

The desire to get a good grade in the public exam motivated this Computer Engineering major to study harder. Fantastic Mr Fox was a compulsory book in secondary school. He didn’t finish Harry Potter because it was too thick.

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.

When using English in Hong Kong you can revert to your mother tongue, but this Social Science major discovered that’s not possible in other countries. She likes crime novels and reads articles related to her major.

Interviewing foreign tourists gave this Statistics major an opportunity to practise spoken English. His secondary school teacher chose a list of books for the class to read which gave him a list of books to read.

Studying and performing the works of Shakespeare are the highlights of this English Literature major’s language learning. She likes Much Ado About Nothing for its humour; she acted in King Lear. She also read Fahrenheit 451 and Dubliners.

Learning to write under pressure in secondary school has paid off in the workplace as this Engineering major can respond quickly to customer emails. He likes reading detective stories.

Travelling to Africa as a volunteer required this Management major to use English to communicate. He read articles about photography on the Internet.

A teacher encouraged this Linguistics major to join a speech competition, which made her realise learning English could be fun. She read Tuesdays with Morrie and found it inspiring.

Primary school classes included grammar lessons. This Computer Science major read Robinson Crusoe, The Phantom of the Opera and The President’s Murderer in secondary school.

Attending an international high school allowed this Hotel Management major to speak English with students from all over the world. She studied Shakespeare and has read Tuesdays with Morrie as well.

Practising spoken English in a workshop organised by her secondary school required this Nursing student to use the language more than ever. She enjoys utopian and dystopian fiction such as The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games.

An English Teaching major enjoyed doing a drama during secondary school but cannot recall the name of the play. She feels students will read more if they understand the context of the material.

Reading, analysing and performing the drama script An Inspector Calls were different to sitting through conventional English classes for this Psychotherapy major. She used her creativity to finish a detective story in a writing competition.

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.

Playing games such as Monopoly was part of the casual learning this Business major undertook in her quest to communicate with English-speaking relatives from Australia. She read the Hunger Games to get a sense of the story before watching the movie.

Participating in a storytelling competition challenged this Maths major as he had to retell one of the Harry Potter stories in front of a large audience. He read the South China Morning Post and the Standard. He prefers using English to teach mathematics.

A NET in secondary school motivated this Fashion and Textile major to try his best to speak English as Cantonese wasn’t allowed in class. Each of the three times that he read The Little Prince was a different experience because he grew older.

Learning English through games in a cram school was fun for this International Relations major. She read faster after practising reading for TOEFL exam.