Video games with storylines and instructions in English helped this Engineering major’s language learning. He browses English websites and enjoys reading Japanese comics.

Feeling inadequate in an EMI secondary school, this Biomedical Engineering major joined societies and activities to improve his English. He expands his vocabulary by reading about psychology and philosophy.

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 bad experience in kindergarten, this Accounting major’s mum placed her in a neighbourhood learning group led by an American tutor. She learnt through field trips and everyday activities. She read a lot of Mitch Albom books and also magazines such as TIME and Vogue.

Working in a university English language centre gives this Chinese major lots of practice by interacting with colleagues. She likes to watch movies and then read the book to see if there are any differences.

English tutorial classes taught this Chinese Medicine major communications skills. She valued the lessons because she mostly used Cantonese. She has read TIME magazine and thinks the articles are informative.

Chatting with international students at university has helped this Information Engineering major develop English conversation skills. He uses a dictionary when reading the newspaper. He warns that Google Translate is limited.

It’s more comfortable using English with foreigners than locals because there is too much focus on accuracy in Hong Kong. This Electronic Engineering majors exchanged stories with other tourists in Berlin. She likes comics and science fiction novels.

A miscommunication with a customs officer in Australia created embarrassing moments for this Math major. He had a difficult time understanding the Batman movie without subtitles during a secondary school study tour to the UK.

Tutors who treated students like friends made English more interesting by using games and movies. Eat, Pray, Love was the first English novel this Education major read. She watched the movie instead after chapter one because it was too difficult. She uses a Kindle to read academic papers.

Presenting in English on a video for a university language course made this Urban Studies major nervous. She enjoyed the Lord of the Rings book and the movie because she could compare the text with the visuals.

Grammar used to be an obstacle for this student but she and her classmates took extra lessons to improve. Her reading skills progressed as she progressed through a detective novel and became more familiar with the vocabulary.

Attending a summer school in the UK during secondary school immersed this Nursing major in an English speaking environment. She read TIME magazine while preparing for the DSE because it broadened her knowledge of international issues.

Learning words before the alphabet in primary school made this Architecture major feel she was behind the rest of the class. All her course materials have been in English since secondary school.

Practising with teachers helped this Computer Science major change her speaking habits, especially pronunciation. She likes the humour in O. Henry’s short stories and essays.

Attending a Christian camp with other young people from the US and UK allowed this Biomedical Engineering major to share her ideas on religion and culture. She reads blogs on Wordpress and Pinterest to learn more about health, medicine, and design.

Interacting with the family’s maid helped this Chinese Studies major learn English. She took part in a reading scheme in secondary school and had to write a brief report for each book.

Preparing to teach children English made this Business major more aware of her own learning. She likes books by Cecilia Ahern including P.S. I Love You.

A drama competition in secondary school was a welcome break from exams and textbooks for this English major. He was the scriptwriter and used a dictionary to complete the job. The local content in the SCMP is appealing.

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.

Preparing for the GRE, this Chemistry major read books and online materials. She needs to write more papers and read more journals in order to improve her skills. She read The China Daily, The New York Times and one chapter of Harry Potter.

Moving to Hong Kong changed this graduate student’s focus on reading from textbooks to the poetry of Pablo Neruda. He was embarrassed when he couldn’t ask a question using English during a forum.

A homestay in the US allowed this Maths major to spend an extensive period of time communicating with people from other countries. She bought a book from the Poison Apple series during the trip but didn’t finish it. She prefers the Chinese versions of popular books like Twilight.

Watching movies like Whiplash and listening to songs by Alanis Morissette helped this Nutritional Science major to build her vocabulary in secondary school. She finds English easy to learn but difficult to master. She uses Wikipedia and the dictionary.

Watching movies has exposed this Nursing major to different cultures and new vocabulary. Fight Club is one of his favourite movies. The book, Into the Wild, is a story about adventure and survival.

Despite having what he felt was a poor standard of English entering senior secondary, this Business major improved his exam scores by working with vocabulary books. He browses websites such as Amazon and Google, and uses Tudou and Google Translate.

Tutorials with a NET arranged by this Finance major’s mother provided plenty of opportunity to speak in a relaxed environment. Her mum also acquired SAT, GEPT and other multidiscipline study guides as teaching materials. She likes the character Katniss in The Hunger Games trilogy.

Terminator 2, James Bond and other movies have taught this Computer Engineering major catch phrases, slang, usage, and culture. Harry Potter books were an integral part of his childhood. The best way to encourage learning is to explain the importance of English as a global language.

A teacher made secondary school English classes fun with games. This Nursing major read textbooks to prepare for the DSE and also Harry Potter, TIME, user guides, and reference books from library

Interacting with other gamers online has broadened this Business major’s language skills. He feels comfortable chatting online because he can speak without focusing on grammar. He reads The Economist weekly but may miss the meaning of sentences even with a dictionary.

Acting as a translator for an American teacher while shopping in Hangzhou raised this Sociology major’s confidence. She translated a Chinese manuscript to English for a friend.

Travelling to the US for a Form 3 summer camp made this Medical student feel she lacked speaking skills. She read Harry Potter and watched the film. She uses an online dictionary and translation apps.

Winning a primary school English writing competition ignited this Medical student’s love for reading and writing. She posts her own fan fiction online and hopes to write a novel. Those who wish to pursue writing should read widely.

Learning English in Canada and Hong Kong exposed this Medical student to different curricula. She learned a lot of vocabulary from reading Geronimo Stilton. She felt watching TV dramas like the Mentalist, House, and Once Upon a Time is a better way to learn.

Getting a good grade for writing and producing a video for an English language course in university is a highlight for this Computer Engineering major. He uses Google and Wikipedia to search for definitions. He watches YouTube videos with English subtitles and reads reference books.

Getting a good grade for writing and producing a video for an English language course in university is a highlight for this Computer Engineering major. He uses Google and Wikipedia to search for definitions. He watches YouTube videos with English subtitles and reads reference books.

Watching a TV series during undergraduate years developed this student’s understanding of other cultures. She did a lot of reading exercises in high school. Using an e-dictionary saves time.

Drama introduced by a secondary school teacher was the starting point for this student’s interest in English. She likes Stephen King’s books and recommends 1986.

Preparing for the TOEFL test involved watching films, listening to the radio and talking. This Business major read the Harry Potter series and notes the talent, honesty, loyalty, kindness and happiness of the writing.

A tough teacher enabled this Law student to be better prepared for the IB exams and raised her interest in poetry from William Blake and Shakespeare. She liked reading Harry Potter.