The Book Fair is an opportunity for this woman to search for bargains. She likes the Shopaholic series and also romantic novels. She doesn’t like sci-fi because it makes her nervous.

Chatting with foreigners allowed this Chinese major to discover elements of the language that she didn’t learn in formal lessons. Reading Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom taught her about the lives of people in other countries.

Preparing for the DSE was focused on passing an exam instead of learning English for this student. Most of his English reading involves academic articles and he has to use the dictionary a lot.

Watching the movie Dracula in secondary school brought the book to life. This Dentistry major read Romeo and Juliet in junior form because of personal interest.

A secondary school teacher guided this student and her classmates to identify the parts of speech in newspaper articles. Watching a drama performance, also in secondary school, was an enriching experience.

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.

TV series like Fringe and Sherlock, taught this Biology major different accents and vocabulary. She tried to read a novel on a computer. Reading textbooks with a dictionary is a good way to learn English.

Playing puzzles in secondary school helped this student improve his English. He doesn’t read much in English.

TV dramas and games taught this China Studies major vocabulary and grammar. He reads notes given by tutors.

Reciting Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, this Computer Science major recalls analysing and writing poems in secondary school. She also read a wide variety of fiction ranging from Enid Blyton and JK Rowling to Ayn Rand. She is starting Games of Thrones and planning to watch the series.

Experiential learning with a NET through drama and other activities is more effective. This Accounting major was required to read a novel each month and have discussions afterwards in secondary school. Her favourite is the Giver by Lois Lowry.

Studying English with his best friend helped this Science major make rapid progress. He read Harry Potter after watching the movies. The books taught him vocabulary and grammar.

A designer recalls an English class where he took part in a group project that involved cooking and performing a drama about it. He laments the decline of English in his workplace. He plays in a band that uses English songs but is not sure about the meaning of some of the lyrics.

Learning the origin of words in an English language school was appealing for this Logistics major. The Little Prince was the first book she read in English and she felt more confident about learning English afterwards.

Failing the A-levels has remained in the memory of this Chinese major. She reads the newspaper.

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.

Attending an EMI secondary school provided a good English learning environment for this Accounting major. She prefers Chinese books but reads English news online.

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.

Learning English on the Mainland involved more writing and reading than speaking. This Information Systems major also watches movies and listens to songs. As a programmer, he had to read a book about this subject in English in order to get the newest information.

Attending an EMI school was a very good environment for this Counseling major to learn English. She primarily reads books related to her major.

A university exchange to Canada exposed this student to conversational English. This English major read Quiet by Susan Cain and found it resonating.

English was the lingua franca for this Engineering major during a study tour to Singapore that focused on the environment. Reading science fiction stimulates his imagination. He read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

A NET discussed and read storybooks with this Language major. A story about the terminally ill was inspiring. She likes Jodi Picoult’s books.

Common core classes in English focused more on interaction, sharing, and personal expression. This Nursing major has read a variety of short articles.

Analysing the language and culture in TV programmes is different from just watching them according to this Visual Studies major. She compared the Harry Potter movies with the books and their Chinese translations.

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.

This student had a hotpot-themed class that involved worksheets. She is not a keen reader.

Being in the debate team motivated this English major to work hard at her language skills. In order to enhance her speaking and reading skills for the A-level exams, she read TIME magazine.

Learning languages in order to teach in other countries is this student’s motivation. She will go to a park and practise with foreigners. She reads to improve her vocabulary.

A tutor gave this Sociology major exercise training in Primary 4. She read fiction and joined a Speech Festival in junior secondary. Exam-oriented education in senior form discouraged her from learning.

The Internet is a self-study resource for this Engineering major. He also reads books related to his major such as Core Java and publications by Isaac Newton and da Vinci.

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.

Despite losing a competitive debate in secondary school, this Social Work major developed new skills. Reading course material with a dictionary enhanced her vocabulary. She seldom used English in primary school.

Working in an international company caused this student to panic because he had to use English to communicate with colleagues. He read Harry Potter books given to him by his uncle and also funny websites.

Taking a public speaking class in high school helped this Social Science major make friends and build confidence. He developed his reading skills when preparing for the SAT.

Motivated to learn more English, this student downloaded material from the Internet to improve his pronunciation during the second year of university. His reading focuses on textbooks.

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.

Performing a play with friends was different to traditional teacher-centred lessons. This Accounting major was more familiar with different brands after reading Shopaholic.

Junior secondary English classes included advanced grammar for this Engineering major. He learnt exams skills in tutorial lessons. He improved his academic writing in university.

A training session in university taught this Accounting major how to speak more persuasively and fluently. She spent many hours on a book about Chinese art because there were many words she didn’t understand.