Out of the four alternatives, select the correctly spelt word related to the verb "bereave".

Introduction / Context:
This spelling question checks your familiarity with the correct formation of the present participle related to the verb "bereave". "Bereave" means to deprive someone of a loved one, especially through death. The correct form "bereaving" follows spelling patterns of English verbs that end with "e".

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Root verb: "bereave".
• Options: "bereving", "bereaving", "bareaving", "bareving".
• We assume the question is asking for the correct spelling of the participle used in phrases like "a bereaving family".

Concept / Approach:
The main principle is the standard rule for forming the present participle of verbs ending in "e". Typically, we drop the silent "e" and add "ing" to form the "-ing" form. For example, "believe" becomes "believing", "receive" becomes "receiving", and "bereave" becomes "bereaving". We also need to pay attention to the correct vowel order "e-a" in the middle of the word, which is part of the correct spelling of "bereave".

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Start from the base verb "bereave", spelled b-e-r-e-a-v-e.Step 2: Apply the spelling rule: drop the final silent "e" and add "ing", giving b-e-r-e-a-v-i-n-g, which is "bereaving".Step 3: Examine option (a) "bereving". Here the letter "a" after "e" is missing, so it does not match the base spelling of "bereave".Step 4: Examine option (b) "bereaving". This exactly follows the transformation from "bereave" and preserves the "e-a" sequence.Step 5: Examine option (c) "bareaving" and option (d) "bareving". Both incorrectly replace the initial "be" with "ba", which does not correspond to the root verb.Step 6: Conclude that "bereaving" is the only correctly spelt form.

Verification / Alternative check:
Use the word in a sentence: "The bereaving family needed time to heal." This matches typical adjective use in English. Attempting to use the incorrect forms reveals their inaccuracy: "bereving family" and "bareaving family" both look and sound wrong because they break the connection to "bereave". Checking an English dictionary would confirm "bereave" and "bereaving" as standard forms.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• "bereving": Drops the "a" after "e" and so no longer reflects the correct root spelling "bereave".
• "bareaving": Changes the initial syllable from "be" to "ba", creating a non-existent root "bareave".
• "bareving": Combines both errors: missing "a" in the middle and incorrect "ba" at the beginning.

Common Pitfalls:
Exam candidates sometimes confuse similar-looking words like "bereave", "behave", or "believe". Paying attention to the root meaning helps: "bereave" relates to loss, "believe" to faith, and "behave" to conduct. When you know the base word well, applying standard rules for adding "ing" becomes straightforward. Another pitfall is failing to apply the drop-the-e rule consistently, which can cause errors like "bereaveing".

Final Answer:
The correctly spelt word is "bereaving".