Basic Details
Word: Bereavement
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The sadness of losing a close relative or friend who has died.
Synonyms: loss, grief, sorrow, mourning
Word origin: Comes from Old English bereafian, 'to rob or take away'. A bereaved person has had someone taken from them.
How to Spell Bereavement
Syllables: be - reave - ment
Tricky part: The middle is reave with ea, and the e at the end of bereave stays before ment. Students drop the a (berevement) or that e (bereavment).
Watch out for: berevement, bereavment, bereivement
Memory tip: Bereave is be + reave, and reave rhymes with leave and has the same ea. Keep the e of bereave before ment, as achievement keeps the e of achieve.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The school sent flowers to Mrs Rao after her bereavement.
Example 2: Friends and neighbours visited the family through the weeks of bereavement.
Example 3: Some offices allow staff a few days of bereavement leave.
Fun Fact
Bereft, meaning left without something, is an old past form of the same verb bereave.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words can take the suffix -ment to make a real noun. Choose it:
-ment
a) reply
b) admit
c) decide
d) bereave
Show answer
d) bereave. Bereave + ment gives bereavement; the nouns of the others are decision, reply and admission.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
bereavemment
a) m
b) v
c) e
d) a
Show answer
a) m. The suffix -ment has a single m, as in payment and statement.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word bereavement as used in the sentence:
The cricket team wore black armbands to share in their captain's bereavement.
a) illness
b) victory
c) travel
d) loss
Show answer
d) loss. A bereavement is the loss of someone close, so loss fits here.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. condolence 2. memorial 3. solace 4. berevement
a) the loss of a loved one through death
b) words of sympathy for someone who is grieving
c) something built or held to remember a person or event
d) comfort in a time of sadness
Show answer
a) the loss of a loved one through death. Berevement has lost the a of reave; bereavement is the correct spelling.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A card sent to someone after a bereavement usually offers ____.
a) a bill
b) sympathy
c) congratulations
d) an invitation
Show answer
b) sympathy
2. A bereaved family is one that has ____.
a) moved to a new city far away
b) won a large prize in a lottery
c) argued with all its neighbours
d) lost someone close through death
Show answer
d) lost someone close through death
