Debating in university gave this student an opportunity to prepare speeches and arguments. She has read Jane Eyre and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. She finds the latter exciting.

Watching movies motivates this student to read the book version. That’s why she read The Hunger Games and The Lord of the Rings.

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.

TV dramas, especially mysteries from the BBC and NBC, interest this student. He has read Harry Potter but thinks of it as entertainment rather than a learning opportunity.

A teacher kept in touch with this student during the summer holidays by chatting with him and his classmates on the phone. He enjoyed reading The Lord of the Rings and watching the film.

Listening to RTHK’s English news about issues such as Occupy Central and making class presentations helped boost this student’s vocabulary. He likes reading books with movie tie-ins such as The Hunger Games. He also reads material related to marketing.

First-year university English classes with a NET helped this student make improvements despite the fact that she made recurring mistakes along the way. She liked reading a ghost story when she was in secondary school.

Primary school drama classes allowed this student to practise her English skills. She read Harry Potter after a friend recommended it to her. Later she watched the movie.

Writing book reports for his aunty, who is an English teacher, was useful for this student. Harry Potter is his favourite book but he seldom reads these days.

Books such as Harry Potter and movies like Taken have helped this student learn English. As a BBA student, she needs to read a lot and finds some of the material difficult.

Writing and performing a drama in Form One exposed this student to everyday English. She feels a sense of accomplishment for reading the entire Harry Potter series. She prefers non-fiction these days.

An exchange trip to Australia pushed this student to use English more often while meeting people. He learnt some English while reading Twilight. He also watched the movie.

English camp provided an alternative learning environment for this student while in secondary school. He read British literature as part of a university course. His favourite author is Ismail Kadare.

Being told English is beautiful by a Secondary 1 teacher sparked this student’s interest in the language. By studying literature and developing her interests and abilities, she realised the power of words.

This student’s English learning started in kindergarten. He took pronunciation class and tutorial classes in primary school. He studied in an English-medium secondary school and read Animal Farm.

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.

This Social Worker had a lot of chances to use and improve his English during a working holiday in New Zealand. While there he communicated with native English speakers daily.

Copying a grammar book by hand taught this Social Work major important grammar items and sentence structure. Her English teacher motivated her to read English books by showing excerpts from movies.

An study exchange programme in the US exposed this teacher to an English speaking environment. She made many friends there and needed to use English daily.

A year of immersion in England exposed this English teacher to different accents and varieties of the language. She advises her students to consume English media like watching movies and TV, listening to radio, and installing language learning mobile apps.

Communicating with volunteers who visited his secondary school increased this Accountant’s use of English. She read a bit of Harry Potter after watching the entire film series.

A school teacher remembers using English with a German businessman during a dinner hosted by her parents. She read Lord of the Flies for a secondary school literature class.

English is used by this animal trainer to communicate with vets in the workplace. She reads papers related to her work in English. She prefers the film version of One Day and read part of Eat, Pray, Love.

Reciting articles from books in primary school English helped this systems engineer get used to the language. She learnt stress and rhythm of the language by performing in dramas. She read Harry Potter with a dictionary at first.

A one-month English camp in Shanghai during junior high put this systems engineer in touch with foreign teachers. She read Harry Potter in English because she couldn’t wait for the Chinese version.

The first learning experience with a foreign English teacher opened a new world for this electrical engineer. He read a bilingual version of Phantom of the Opera that his mum bought.

Prompted to practise more during university, this English major held balcony conversations with her best friend from the hall. She read Lady Chatterley’s Lover after a friend suggested the novel to her in secondary school.

An art historian learnt a lot of new terminology related to the treatment of her cancer. She felt that The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho had a big influence on her and taught her some life lessons.

Staying in the Lake District in England allowed this teacher to learn English from her surroundings. She likes reading Peter Pan and the Bible. She gets new inspirations each time she reads these books.

As a teenager, this teacher had to join the activities and make friends during a summer camp facilitated by Canadians. He read Phantom of the Opera for a book report in secondary school.

Being a campus guide while studying in the US placed this PhD student in an authentic English language environment. Reading 1984 as an undergraduate provided a contrast to history.

A Sustainability for Education major remembers role-playing exercises about environmental protection during secondary school English. She watched the movie Millions and then bought the book. E-books are good because you can preview before buying.

An ECE major enjoyed writing and performing a drama in Form Four as she learnt about language differences. She says it is good to start learning English when you are young. She has read Twilight.

A teacher used activities such as classes on presentation skills to encourage this liberal studies major to communicate in English. She reads textbooks such as Global Warming as well as Harry Potter and the South China Morning Post.

An English major likes to draw pictures while reading to help remember the meaning of a phrase. She says her primary school teacher encouraged her to draw. She says parents encourage children to learn English because it’s an international language.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was the first book that this student finished. She also read Harry Potter. She likes printed books but uses an e-dictionary. Students studying DSE should search for more information using the Internet.

Songs from artists such as the Beatles and Bee Gees help this student with his listening skills. He uses a dictionary to find the meaning of new words. He sometimes uses English when he teaches the violin.

An English Teaching major found writing down subtitles improved her understanding. She believes studying should be enjoyable. She has read Holes and watched the movie.

An English speaking day in secondary school allowed this student a chance to chat with senior and teachers. She enjoyed reading Harry Potter more after seeing the movie.

A tour where English was the lingua franca helped this student improve her speaking and writing skills. She has used English for academic purposes. She has read Once and Harry Potter. Watching the movies also helped.