The speaking test in TOEFL was difficult for this Journalism major. Reading material in a course was difficult, which makes him think he should practise more.

Being unable to speak in a cultural exchange motivated this Applied Linguistics major to join a class which helped her build confidence. She didn’t have access to English books like novels in Mainland China.

Chatting with foreigners is a better way to learn English for this trainee doctor. Reading also helps him learn English. He likes books about psychological disorders such as The Minds of Billy Milligan.

A course called Language Crimes taught this Translation major how people can make threats in English. She read The Two Noble Kinsmen in her literature course.

Tutorial classes for the DSE let this Marketing major learn vocabulary, grammar and writing skills quickly. The language used in philosophical articles is difficult.

Forced to memorise vocabulary by her mum, this Translation major hated English. Academic articles were difficult when she was a freshman. She likes reading fiction books such as The Da Vinci Code.

While textbooks are quite formal, watching movies and dramas better prepared this Translation major to communicate with foreigners. She can still get the sense of the story if she reads Japanese novels in English.

YouTube videos taught this English major grammar, writing and exam skills. He borrowed a collection of horror stories from the library. He read The Story of an Hour in his literature course.

Reading both the Chinese and English versions of a book simultaneously taught this Psychology major grammar and vocabulary. He prefers the Harry Potter books to the movies because of the descriptive writing.

A drama festival let this Business major learn how to speak fluently and taught her new vocabulary. She read Life of Pi which was recommended by her teacher.

A debate enhanced this Arts major’s speaking skills and vocabulary. The desire to get a high grade motivated her to read a lot of books and readings for a high school history project.

Talking to friends in an exchange to Thailand enhanced this Translation major’s fluency. Understanding Jane Austen’s works from the perspective of colonialism was shocking and interesting. She likes Pantomime by Derek Walcott.

A study tour to New Zealand let this Philosophy major speak English with her host family. The Reader is the first English book she completed.

A fun camp designed by foreign students and attended by this Philosophy major included games, songs, and dancing. She read Harry Potter and The Remains of the Day.

Foreign students spoke too fast for this Cultural Studies major. He read commentaries in the South China Morning Post to build his vocabulary as he was preparing to resit the DSE.

An exchange student from Germany spoke too fast for this Business major. She enjoyed reading TIME which was free in her secondary school. She likes reading articles about cooking.

A camp organised by some Canadians forced this Business major to speak English. Watching the movie, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, motivated her to read the original book which revealed more detail.

An extra-curricular course led by university exchange students taught this Business major vocabulary and communication skills. She likes the Twilight books more than the movies.

NETs in a learning centre added their real-life experiences when reading stories to this Social Science major. Clipping news articles in secondary school was not enjoyable.

Having to express her opinions by speaking and writing in university is difficult for this Social Science major.

Using Chinese to teach English was weird for this Arts major. The DSE reading papers were hard but taught him things about biology and culture.

Providing speaking practice for junior students on a ‘talk counter’ in the English promotion team in secondary school was helpful to this Social Science major. Reading and discussing books in class was interesting. The Harry Potter movies are more exciting than the books.

Rewriting the Cinderella story for a school play gave this Translation major a chance to work with a supervisor from Australia. She read Harry Potter but doesn’t want to watch the movies. She discovered cultural differences in the English translations of Chinese classics.

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.

University English classes attended by this Chinese major included how to design questionnaires and conduct interviews. Famous people’s interviews in TIME inspire her a lot.

In secondary school, this Marketing major chose a book about her hobbies for the morning reading session. She loves fiction and read the Harry Potter series in English and Chinese in primary school.

Getting rewards such as candy and playing board games were part of English Week in this Chinese major’s secondary school. Reading Anne Frank’s autobiography exposed her to the terror of the Holocaust.

A teacher who explained news articles word by word helped this Chinese major expand her vocabulary. She reads Eileen Chang’s English novels and their Chinese translations. The High School Musical movies made her read the novels.

A course about popular songs taught this English major sentence patterns, phonics and rhythm. She reads novels.

English Wednesdays in secondary school let this Business major chat with language ambassadors and teachers. Reading The Student Standard taught her vocabulary.

A Swedish exchange student led this Philosophy major to learn a different accent. Reading A Child Called “It” was inspiring.

During a study trip to Canada this Arts major used English to chat with students from Brazil and Japan. She read comics with friends in secondary school. She wants to improve her English proficiency in order to study translation.

Group discussions and one-on-one teaching highlighted this Chinese major’s exchange to Britain. The English and Chinese versions of Kafka’s works are different. He reads about history and politics in TIME and the SCMP.

Motivated by his parents, this Social Science major overcome the difficulty of studying in an EMI school. The love of mathematics made him learn the vocabulary in his textbook.

Movies are the main source of English for this Social Science major. She started to read more fiction in university including Gone Girl and Paper Towns. She also reads English textbooks.

Reading the SCMP and writing commentaries or summaries taught this Arts major vocabulary and grammar which are useful for the DSE and further studies. The SCMP let him learn more about health, technology and Hong Kong history.

Reality shows like The Amazing Race exposed this Economics and Finance major to real communication between native speakers. Reading financial news and commentaries in Bloomberg and Reuters prepares him for job interviews and improves his English.

Moving to the US at the age of 10, this Finance major relied on guessing, gestures and a dictionary to understand other people. Reading children’s books improved her vocabulary and grammar. Brave New World is eye-opening.

A study tour to the UK immersed this Marketing and Management major in an English environment. She likes the Twilight books more than the film version because of the detailed descriptions of the characters, emotions and settings.

Primary school teachers told this Business major stories with comic books. He read Harry Potter many times.