A social worker recalls how a university professor inspired her to use English. She seldom reads English books but started the Twilight series after watching the movie.

Playing board games in class was boring while engaging in audiovisual activities is interesting. This Multimedia Design major likes to learn by watching movies such as High School Musical and Harry Potter.

Responding to teacher’s questions in English class was a nervous experience. This Civil Engineering major works hard in the compulsory language courses for a better GPA. He reads course materials and believes English learning should start from kindergarten.

English media has been the best way for this student to learn the language. She believes English is important for her future work.

Performing drama in secondary school was different to reading books and memorising vocabulary for this trainee doctor. Reading books like To Kill a Mockingbird is more than words, it’s about interpreting the author’s intent.

In order to get into a good university, this Engineering major worked hard to prepare for the Gaokao in high school. He reads inspiring short passages every day on his phone.

Attending a tutorial school expanded this Finance major’s circle of friends and knowledge of American TV shows. Reading The Economist and TIME has exposed her to different political views.

A NET talking about life made this Business major enjoy lessons. She reads Wikipedia and journals. She watched Kingsman: The Secret Service which let her learn the accent.

Researching a topic for a presentation in secondary school made this student question his English proficiency. His reading has centred on course material. He is finding it difficult to study in English university because he used Cantonese in secondary school.

An exchange to Mauritius let this Business major talk to participants from Brazil, the Netherlands and other countries in English every day. Reading thick reference books for a course was a bit boring.

A Form 2 course, Language Arts, was interactive and included lots of group discussion and performing drama. This student’s parents read her Snow White and other bedtime stories about princesses.

Modal verbs puzzled this Arts major in an exam. She read Oliver Twist as part of an undergraduate literature course. She found Dickens’ descriptions attractive.

English songs, poems and drama are an alternative to grammar and “technical English.” Watching movies such as Harry Potter and The Hunger Games will get you interested in reading the original books.

Writing her first academic essay in English in university was very different from do exams and exercise in school for this student. She will only read English text if she has to.

A UK exchange encouraged this Arts major to express herself more confidently. She read the script of The Importance of Being Earnest in literature class.

Doing associate studies in business English improved this Linguistics major’s writing and presentation skills. She could relate to the story of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and found its quotes inspirational.

An English lesson taught this Hospitality major interview skills. His vocabulary grew in secondary school while reading horror stories chosen by his teachers.

While exploring synonyms in a university GE course, this student became aware that one must choose one’s words carefully. Eva Hoffman’s autobiography is similar to this English major’s experience of moving to Hong Kong.

Efforts by a Form 6 English teacher helped improve this student’s English. The same teacher also provided newspaper articles to expand students’ vocabulary.

A Year 2 English course in university improved this Accounting major’s writing and discussion skills. She seldom does English reading now.

Watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in class was different to mock exams and drilling. Completing The Giver gave this Business major confidence in reading other English books.

Watching YouTube videos presented by foreigners developed this Hotel Management major’s accent and vocabulary. She rarely reads English materials apart from the course material related to her major.

This Public Health major wished that English lessons were more exam-oriented in senior secondary. Reading Gay Specificity in Hong Kong allowed him to find out more about the local communities.

Secondary school drama classes helped this Engineering major learn new vocabulary. He loved the school reading period because it helped to balance the study time.

To help prepare for the public examinations, this Biotechnology major’s English teacher gave him one-on-one lessons. He read books such as A Christmas Carol, The Railway Children and The Diary of a Young Girl for his literature class.

Being in university taught this Building Service Engineering major the skills of essay writing. He was required to read What’s It All About? by Julian Baggini.

This Communications major attended secondary school tutorial classes that included past papers and writing. English teachers encouraged her to read the Young Post.

A secondary school teacher advised this Electronic Engineering major to watch movies without subtitles and read books without using a dictionary. He read The Five Orange Pips for his SBA.

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.

Reflecting on his English learning, this student describes it as the same model over the years – grammar, presentation, and some good sharing. He’s a football fan and has read FourFourTwo magazine and checks results on a website called Who Scored.

A study tour to Australia gave this Fashion and Textile major an opportunity to talk with her host family and sightseeing. She also finished reading the seventh book of Harry Potter during her time there.

Due to the limited time in class, this Engineering major watched romance and war movies on his own to learn daily English. He read children’s literature such as Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson.

Studying in Durham gave this Law student an opportunity to spend time with the locals and improve his English. It took him some time to get used to the jargons used in his studies. He likes reading books related to history and chemistry.

A NET made English fun for this student. He feels NETs are more open-minded. He reads material about the environment and says English is used for formal communication.

Chinese characters were used by this Science major in primary school to help him pronounce English words. Reading in front of the class was embarrassing. He reads the China Daily.

Finding out about the Book Fair from his friends, this Transport Worker went to the event to browse for titles about gaming and the Japanese. Harry Potter is funny because of the power of spells.

As a punishment in primary school, this Biology major had after-class lessons until he could pass an English test. He also had to repeatedly do dictations until he passed. The school reading scheme aims to motivate students but he preferred to do other things.

Having studied in the US immersed this Psychology graduate in an English speaking environment as she interacted with locals. As a research assistant, she needed to read a lot of papers that she was not interested in.

English was an alien language to this Radiography major when she first encountered it during Primary One. She gradually picked up the language with the help of a NET. She tried to read the works of Shakespeare but failed to understand them.

Having debates in biblical ethics class enabled this Psychology major to express her opinion from a religious stance. After reading Romeo and Juliet, she made a video and performed in a skit.