A book on writing skills prepared this Computer Engineering major for TOEFL. She can’t understand what the words mean in academic papers.

Although learning syntax is complicated, it helped this English major acquire a clearer concept of the language. Reading Shakespeare is difficult because the vocabulary is not commonly used.

A phonics class trained this Chinese Medicine major to remember vocabulary in an organised way. The Twilight movies motivated her to read the original books which were more interesting.

Hard work together with the support of classmates contributed to this Psychology major’s good DSE result. He chose a romantic fiction book for the private reading time in middle school.

This Education major participated in a choral speaking competition, and enjoyed learning poems and working with her classmates. She likes reading newspapers more than books.

Reading a novel given to this student by his secondary school English teacher was challenging. He has been too busy to read books while in university. He suggests students should prepare for the DSE by reading.

Listening to songs in class let this Science major learn vocabulary easily. She gets inspiration from books about famous people like Steve Jobs and Nick Vujicic.

Preparing for the DSE speaking test gave this Nursing major a lot of chances to practise English. She read newspapers in secondary school. She now reads literature for her studies.

Watching movies and TV is a convenient way for this student to learn English. He thinks it is more efficient than reading. He uses English in university where he studies mechanical engineering.

In an exchange to Norway, this Arts major experienced different varieties of English. She read books, novels and poetry in a literature course. Her favourite author is Charles Dickens.

Forced reading with his mother gave this Engineering major a good foundation in English. He used to read passages aloud and then write them out.

Conducting interviews with foreign tourists made this Business Analysis major very nervous. He loves reading Sherlock Holmes and he would refer to the Chinese version when he has trouble with the English one.

A NET helped this China Studies major analyse, modify and perform Shakespeare’s Macbeth in class. Although she regards Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter as a ‘heavy’ book for a Primary 6 student, it inspired her.

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.

Watching reality shows such as America’s Got Talent gave this Business major a glimpse into other people’s lives. She does not like reading but read newspapers in secondary school to improve her English.

English was more important than Malay when this Interior Design major started learning a language at home. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is his favourite read. He also loved One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Preparing for the DSE exams by working with poems and doing the SBA was memorable for this student. Chinese books are easier to read because she is familiar with the vocabulary.

A private tutor chatted in English while playing games with this student. She liked reading the self-improvement book, 59 Seconds and feels that reading can be a multimedia experience.

Tutorial classes taught by a NET forced this Quantitative Finance major to speak English. He read Harry Potter because he was motivated to get better academic results. He learnt vocabulary and everyday English.

A strict English only learning environment helped this student’s conversation skills. Her father encouraged her to read Harry Potter in English.

A teacher stirred this student’s interest in English through activities such as field trips and debating. She also read the Phantom of the Opera.

Attending an EMI secondary school immersed this Sociology major in an English language environment. She loved the Harry Potter movies and felt she could get the full picture by reading the books.

TV series like Parks and Recreation taught this Social Science major listening and speaking skills. His peers recommended 1984 to him and he read half of it.

A teacher in primary school used games to spark this Physics major’s interest in English. His teacher in secondary school searched for articles on the web and asked him to read them aloud.

This Physics major attended a school with teachers from different countries. Her family members can speak English but they mostly use Chinese at home.

The job of this Information Engineering graduate required him to use English to communicate with different parties. He prefers watching movies and TV to reading books.

A trip to the US included an English lesson in New York for this Chinese major. After watching the movie The Hunger Games, she really wanted to read the book.

A teacher in primary school helped this Leisure and Tourism Management major with his spelling. Q & A was the first English book he finished. He picked it because there were many pictures in it.

A new teacher was considered a danger to this Accounting major’s DSE aspirations because he was too relaxed. Daily reading session of the South China Morning Post improved her language skills and motivated her to read more.

Reading Pride and Prejudice in Form 2 has led to a memorable class drama for this Accounting major. Another book, The Giver, placed her in a different world.

Rewriting the lyrics for the Alice in Wonderland musical was the culmination of a class competition that involved watching the film and reading the book. This Nursing major read magazines about the human body in secondary school and now course materials related to her major.

This student has been working with foreign tutors in the language centre in university. He is comfortable with the required readings but would like to improve his speaking and listening skills.

Phonics taught in secondary school was not understood by this Math Education major. She listens to BBC Radio on the Internet. She read Esio Trot by Roald Dahl for a speech competition.

During a study trip to Canada this Arts major used English to chat with students from Brazil and Japan. She read comics with friends in secondary school. She wants to improve her English proficiency in order to study translation.

Senior secondary exposed this International Studies major to terms unique to Chemistry and Biology. She has improved her aural comprehension while learning in university.

English songs from his favourite band, X Japan, have exposed this Business major to new vocabulary, sentence patterns and symbolic meanings. The language of course material is difficult.

Doing many exercises in class was useful for exams but not for the daily life according to this Psychology major. Reading Harry Potter in primary school was rewarding.

Although learning English is boring, this Computing major knows the language is useful. She practises by talking with friends. She has read newspapers and finds academic articles difficult.

This Creative Writing major learns English bit by bit. He wrote his first English words when he was four. He hopes to learn another language.

University English classes have taught this trainee doctor practical skills such as academic writing and how to present. He likes to read about anatomy.