Adjectives

"I was at the point of death, miss".  That's what a student said to me during our one-on-one conference time about grades.  I hadn't asked, it wasn't the topic of our conversation, but he wanted me to know.  He had come to America 8 months before, he told me how he came through Mexico on foot mostly.  He was stranded, starved, almost dead, kidnapped, ransomed, and released.  This happened just a few months ago.  Now he lives with a sister who doesn't know him and probably couldn't handle the extra strain on space and expense.  How am I supposed to teach adjectives after this?