When you're first studying a second language, you begin learning a base vocabulary consisting of rudimentary nouns, adjective, verbs and particles. As you start to grow more adept, one of the surest means of varying your speech is to acquire more descriptive adjectives. If you're a student of English as a second language (ESL), many real-world means exist to help you learn and retain adjectives for use in your everyday speech.

Instructions

1

Watch, read and listen to English-language media, such as television programs, newspapers and music. Although pocket dictionaries can contain literally thousands of adjectives, hearing them in real world context is infinitely more valuable. When partaking in media, however, it's important to keep in mind the context of the vocabulary you're hearing -- obviously, adjectives you hear on a news broadcast or documentary are going to be more formal in register than in a pop song or a reality TV show.

2

Become better acquainted with any native English speakers around whom you work, study or live. Although you may be most comfortable conversing with your English instructor, making conversation with non-teachers a habit can allow you to glean from their speech not only adjectives they use to describe certain things, but also nuances like inflection and intonation, which can affect how people interpret your use of a certain adjective.

3

Target your learning whenever possible, keeping in mind the most useful adjectives. If you're a personal trainer, for example, you might want to focus on periodicals like "Men's Health" or "Shape" and television programs that pertain to fitness and exercise. If you study English long enough, you will eventually acquire enough adjectives that you won't need to actively seek more, but in the beginning, you should seek out those which are most important to you.

4

Practice each adjective you learn, preferably with a native speaker. If something you say generates a strange facial expression or if you try to make a joke and nobody laughs, don't be shy about asking if you've made a mistake. As is the case with anything you learn, failure -- and the extent to which you rectify it -- is an important part of mastering a language.

http://www.eltworld.net/times/2009/01/tips-for-esl-students-on-increasing-their-vocabulary-by-learning-business-terms/