Accepting feedback from others helped this Fashion & Textile graduate improve her English pronunciation. She prefers reading on the Internet. The Man in the Iron Mask is the only English novel she has read. She likes to listen to music and studies the lyrics and recommends others to do the same.

This Chemical Technology major expressed her creativity in a drama class during secondary school. Watching The Hunger Games and Twilight motivated her to read the books.

Working at an amusement park in the US taught this Biology major about the American cash system, food, and everyday English. He’s now reading the English version of Harry Potter after starting with the Chinese translation.

English is very important for this Chinese Culture major as it plays a crucial role in her life, such as job recruitment and communicating with foreigners. She reads the China Daily and The Economist to study English.

Attending an academic conference in South Africa gave this Radiography major an opportunity to use English. He has to read a lot of manuals for his field.

While working as an environmental protection intern in Australia, this Primary Education major used English to communicate with colleagues. She likes to read about spirituality.

Other than doing many exercises when preparing for the Gaokao, this Accounting and Finance major also did the TOEFL listening test to improve her English. She enjoys readings books by O. Henry and Agatha Christie.

After doing poorly in the DSE, this Textiles major took IELTS to meet university entrance requirements. She gained some practical knowledge and skills while preparing for the IELTS assessment.

To attract and retain people’s attention while speaking, this Mechanical Engineering major read speeches by Barack Obama and other well-known figures. He feels this is a skill needed to be successful.

Immersed in a competitive environment, this Biotechnology major tried harder. She read literary works for school such as Bridge to Terabithia, Lord of the Flies and Taming of the Shrew. And her favourite fiction is Harry Potter.

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.

Speaking slowly is how this Business and Engineering major adjusted to life as an exchange student in the US. Mock job interviews during class prepared for his future career. He read a lot of articles in the South China Morning Post.

Attending the Book Fair, this Physical Education Teacher searched for some books about human anatomy and sports which will be helpful for his work.

Newspapers are the preferred English text for this Graphic Designer. She reads to broaden her knowledge and possibly help her get a better job. It is easier to read Chinese books.

After watching The Hunger Games, this Mechanical Engineering major bought series to get more background. Flipping pages in printed books is an important aspect of the reading experience.

English created a familiar bond between this Psychology major and her family’s domestic helper. She has read The Mortal Instruments and All the Light We Cannot See. She also learns English from YouTubers.

Working as a summer English tutor has made this student more aware of his use of language. He stays in touch with foreign students in university using text messages. He likes design and architecture books.

Winning a class competition for a video in secondary school created a good learning atmosphere for this Engineering major. She reads the South China Morning Post to improve her English.

Despite winning a competition singing an English song, this Management major does not think her interest in music helps her learning. She likes to read fashion magazines.

Studying phonics and taking part in English singing and speech competitions became a habit for this student who now likes western pop music. She uses social media to find interesting articles to read.

Watching Downton Abbey and working as a part-time English teacher helped this Media and Communication major prepare for IELTS. She also read Eat, Pray, Love and watched the movie.

Learning to translate a Chinese story to English made this student appreciate the differences in the two languages. Books by Nicholas Sparks such as Dear John and the Notebook have made this Translation major cry.

Starting from kindergarten, this Creative Media major felt her parents, especially her mum, forced her to learn English. She attended a special English-speaking kindergarten and was forced to watch CNN and the BBC. Reading is difficult because she has to check words in the dictionary.

Travelling made this Economics and Finance major feel there’s too much emphasis on accent in Hong Kong. He liked the courage and the friendship between the characters in Harry Potter. He also read The Hunger Games, National Geographic and The Economist.

Instructional videos on a gamers’ platform called Twitch has exposed this Computer Engineering major to slang and pronunciation. He uses Wikipedia to help him understand some of the subjects he is studying.

An internship in the United States raised this Business major’s confidence in speaking English. She reads TIME, Vogue and National Geographic but also browses websites for articles on human behaviour.

After attending an EMI secondary school, this Engineering major feels she uses English less now. She participated in choral speaking and English Day in secondary school. She read a book about Shakespeare in secondary school.

The competitive environment of secondary school motivated this Cultural and Heritage Management major to improve her English by reading more books and learning about grammar. It was compulsory to read the newspaper in her secondary school.

University gives this student more opportunity to speak in English. Secondary school classes were led by a teacher. She likes funny books such as Sophia Kinsella’s Shopaholic.

As English is not her mother tongue, this student feels the language is a challenge for her. She finds it difficult to translate Chinese to English as well as the grammar and sentence structure.

Spending time in Australia and Europe motivated this Finance major to improve her English. The children on a farm in Australia taught her English. She participated in an English reading programme in high school.

Playing games such as Monopoly was part of the casual learning this Business major undertook in her quest to communicate with English-speaking relatives from Australia. She read the Hunger Games to get a sense of the story before watching the movie.

A harsh learning experience involved learning pages of phrasal verbs because this Medical student’s English was not up to standard in Form 1. Even though the Hunger Games was a required reading in secondary school he completed it out of pure interest.

Interacting with foreign students in university required this Physics major to use English differently to the way that he was taught in secondary school. When speaking in English you need to organise your thoughts quickly and remember the grammar is different to Cantonese.

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.

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.