After learning English for twelve years in the Mainland, this Engineering major used the language for communication in Hong Kong. She learnt a lot about writing and speaking by reading a textbook about academic English.

Secondary school teachers gave this student some topics to discuss with foreigners who he must approach in the street. Reading Rain Man made him realise you cannot judge people by their appearance.

Participating in an English video competition in Form 3 complemented this Social Work major’s study of grammar. Education in senior secondary was exam-oriented and less interesting. University learning was practical and helpful for the future.

A tutor sparked this Nursing major’s interest in the language through the surroundings such as street signs. She also forced herself to watch TV shows and movies to help improve her language skills. She read Pride and Prejudice.

A British Council course with NETs led to a rapid improvement in this student’s level of English. He also uses English while playing rugby. He likes to understand the lyrics to songs by Bruno Mars, Jason Mraz, and Maroon 5.

A “funny” lecturer from university encouraged this Interior Design major to talk more and read more. Her secondary school teacher suggested to memorise one sentence from a book each day in order to learn sentence structures and the vocabulary.

Joining a Rites of Passage programme in Australia allowed this Arts major to use English in daily life. She developed a reading habit because of the Harry Potter books.

English lessons in secondary school were better than those in university as there was more student-teacher interactions. This Accounting major read Number the Stars for a book report.

The DSE drama elective sparked this student’s interest in English. She likes the Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and says students should be encouraged to read in English or Chinese.

Preparing for the GRE test was a tough but fruitful experience for this Maths major. She reads little in English due to the lack of time and interest. She would like to improve her speaking skills.

Conducting a survey with foreign tourists gave this Business major an opportunity to practise his spoken English. He read a magazine about Mathematics.

Preparing for IELTS was hard for this Marketing major because she could only depend on herself. She used to read novels and magazines but now focuses on study materials.

In primary school, cooking in an English lesson let this Biochemistry major learn a lot of food names. Doing a book report in primary school was a challenge for him.

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.

This Translation major’s class had to remember words on the blackboard in 10 minutes, and then their teacher would test them. She was entertained by a storyteller during a Christmas promotion in a shopping mall.

Being a scriptwriter and a performer for a secondary school drama allowed this Medical student to explore the use of everyday English. She took part in her school’s reading scheme which involved group speeches but she did not like the stories.

Learning English in Canada for one year was enjoyed by this Ethics and Public Affairs major. She did a lot of practice for the reading exam in the Gaokao.

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.

While the writing skills that this Engineering major acquired from secondary school can be transferrable to university, speaking is her weakness. She prefers reading Chinese to avoid looking up English words in the dictionary.

The timing of the Book Fair suits this woman as it is near the summer holidays. She looks for books on beauty and those linked to movies. She has read Gone Girl, The Fault in Our Stars and Game of Thrones.

This Finance major had to adjust to the learning environment in an international school. She read Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. She mostly reads financial articles from websites such as Bloomberg and Reuters.

A Form Two trip to England involved watching a Romeo and Juliet movie, creating a magazine and writing an essay for this Accounting major. She gets tired reading whether it’s English or Chinese.

Puzzle games expanded this Music major’s vocabulary. Discussions with her classmates in English is also part of her learning experience. She enjoys reading but it is time-consuming to check the meaning of words.

The teacher in this Science major’s university English class invited students to do drama containing special phrases. She reads online short stories derived from movies like Iron Man or Captain America.

A Maths Teaching major began to enjoy English after a teacher introduced videos and games. She wonders about the best language to teach maths as she learnt in English and Chinese.

A university IELTS course taught this Business major writing. She read a book about good ethics in secondary school.

Organising an information booth gave this Mechanical Engineering major a chance to explain the sports culture in Hong Kong to foreigners. He had to read a long piece of text on environmental conservation in secondary school.

Use rhyming words to write a poem in primary school was fun for this English Teaching major. She prefers to teach primary because it is hard to motivate older students for exams. She read the newspaper to boost her vocabulary for the DSE.

Attending a court trial and barely understanding the legal jargon was memorable for this Law major. She read The Zahir over and over again to comprehend it. She now mostly reads textbooks.

Watching Schindler’s List taught this English graduate a lot of new words and made her class engage in discussion. Her best discovery in the university English lessons was William Blake whose poems are easy to understand.

School English classes were the major language input for this Science major. He read Harry Potter in Form 5 after watching the movie.

Writing exams is the main motivation of studying English for this Accounting major. She uses “basic English” in her programme and believes the most effective way to learn is to communicate with native speakers.

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.

Adjusting to an EMI secondary school required this Geography major to pay more attention in class and check the dictionary often in order to catch up. Reading stories during that period expanded his vocabulary. He now reads non-fiction books about science and geography.

Talking with a NET in secondary school helped improve this Radiography major’s language skills. He had many opportunities to practise his spoken English during a trip to Canada. He sometimes reads newspapers and the comments on YouTube.

Watching movies and TV series enhanced this Business major’s vocabulary and speech. Although he read Harry Potter, he enjoyed the movies more because he didn’t need to check the dictionary.

Working in a fast food shop in Canada improved this Business Management major’s speaking and accent. Reading the China Daily expanded his vocabulary.

In kindergarten, this Science major and her sibling were taught English pronunciation and spelling by their mother. She read Matilda by Roald Dahl and watched the movie adaptation as well.

Activities, PowerPoint, movies, and computers were used instead of textbooks in secondary school English classes. This Engineering major prefers Chinese books rather than English ones.

Failing a test motivated this Material Engineering major to improve his English by attending a tutorial class. The Wizard of Oz is the first English book he read in its entirety and he enjoyed it a lot.