Using English to learn at university improved this graduate’s speaking and writing. Environment and motivation are important for English learning.

A graduate explains how she overcame her fear of speaking in English during a trip to Australia. She says students should practise and not be too self-conscious.

Despite the coaching from a good teacher, this student did not get the DSE result she wanted. She reads mostly for academic purposes. She has a part-time job where she uses English to communicate with visitors.

An Australian NET encouraged this Mainland student to speak more during secondary school. She read The Hunger Games after watching the movie. She says students should be proactive and not expect help.

A compulsory immersion in Wollongong, Australia was part of this English Teaching major’s university course. She read Tuesdays with Morrie and attended performance related to the book. Students need more speaking practice.

After struggling with the HKCEE and failing A-level English, this student overcame his difficulties in his associate degree. He is planning to study overseas, but needs to improve his IELTS result.

Having to talk to a native speaker was embarrassing for this student. She read a lot of books for an academic assignment. She thinks she will use English for work in the future.

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.

Negativity towards English has changed since this Property Management student had to teach her son the language. Not being taught phonics properly in secondary school hindered her study and has made her uneasy when teaching her son.

Learning French supplemented with English has improved this Nursing graduate student’s English. Choir singing brushes up his knowledge of pronunciation.

Teaching English to children in Russia made this Marketing major more aware of the language and improved her spoken English. She read the Young Post, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Charlotte’s Web for assignments in school.

As a native speaker of English in Malaysia, this Economics and Finance major picked up the language easily. He describes the books he read as “normal”.

A primary teacher picked a lot of good books for this Philosophy major. She shared the series of A Song of Ice and Fire with her classmates in secondary school. She likes both the books and TV series.

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.

DSE was the common goal for this Visual Studies major and his friends. They proofread each other’s writings. He discussed aspects of Tuesdays with Morrie with his friends.

Entertaining games in secondary school enabled this Visual Studies to learn English. She read and discussed books with classmates in a session after lunch. She likes books about science.

Watching Friends together made this Human Resources major and other students think and talk in English. In an exchange to Canada, she needed to read the local newspapers for an assignment.

A study tour to Los Angeles let this Urban Studies major learn English through culture, drama and sport. Influenced by her friends, she read Twilight and liked its lively descriptions.

English was used when this Chinese major talked with his cousin in Vancouver. He read Primitive Passions by Rey Chow.

Sentence structures, clauses, and verbs became more familiar to this student after he spent the Form 5 holidays reading grammar books. He feels proud to share his knowledge.

A summer holiday drama programme involving performing was exciting for this Business major. She had to find a book and share the contents with her classmates.

Being an English mentor helped this Anthropology major understand the needs of language learners. She has developed an appreciation for translation in reading materials related to her major.

Having studied in Australia and Malaysia enabled this Accounting major to make friends from different backgrounds. Her IB school experience deepened her understanding of different literature works such as The Outsider, The Doll’s House and those by Shakespeare.

Watching a play and interacting with the performers after the show were different to regular classes in secondary school for this Economics major. Reading and sharing thoughts about the book The Witches with classmates was memorable.

Meeting foreigners who shared their lives in their home countries sparked this Economics major’s interest in learning. His mother read the Bookworm storybook series to him. He reads popular novels and the newspaper.

The experience of teaching Mainland students English changed this undergraduate’s perception of their ability. Reading Sherlock Holmes in Form One entertained him and motivated him to learn.

A tutorial required this Teaching major to speak in front of the class and share her views on a video. In junior secondary, she had to take a guess at the story of The Monkey’s Paw from the title before reading it.

A tutor in high school introduced this English major to poetry and inspired her to choose her major. She helped a P2 student’s writing and reading when she was in P6.

Reading taught this Accounting major English while exposing her to the knowledge of great minds. Lots of people told her to read The Five People You Meet in Heaven which she found inspiring.

Class debates in Form 5 taught this Translation major how to argue. She has the habit of reading and started the Shopaholic series along with her friends in secondary school.

Forming study groups enabled this Urban Studies major to learn English with his friends in secondary school. He read Percy Jackson and discussed the book with his friends.

Working with visiting British students in a camp taught this Marketing major idioms and English usage. She learns about world news by reading newspapers.

As a member of a volunteer group that made subtitles for TV shows and movies challenged this International Journalism major’s listening and translation skills. A debate competition motivated her to read. She likes the symbolism in The Great Gatsby.

Working as a volunteer in Greece gave this English and Education major an opportunity to use English to communicate with others. She reads mostly for academic purposes.

Studying with a Filipino teacher and watching English TV with her two daughters after-school helped this Operation Research major. Reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was difficult.

Using English to talk with friends for the first time encouraged this Sociology major to use the language more. Sharing his views with others motivates him to read more. He is interested in books about Sociology.

Reading the South China Morning Post and sharing the articles with her aunt was a useful learning method for this Communications major. Her favourite poem is Look Up by Gary Turk and she enjoyed reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

English was used all around this Accounting and Finance major as her father studied in the US, her family friends went to international schools, and the language is also used in her church. The first book she read voluntarily was The Fault in Our Stars by John Green which she found to be heart quenching.

Discussing soap operas such as Gossip Girl, House and Three Rivers with fellow students helped train this Accounting major’s spoken English. She had to read newspaper articles every morning during secondary school.

Being a volunteer tutor in Mongolia gave this Law student a chance to review his learning skills and share his experiences. He read Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling when participating in prose reading competitions.