Choose the option that completes the sentence using the correct spelling.
There are two types of _______: viral and bacterial.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
pneumonia
Explanation
Orthographic and Spelling Rules The word "pneumonia" is derived from the Greek root pneumon, meaning lung. In English orthography, words inherited from Greek that begin with a "n" sound are frequently spelled with a silent "p" preceding the "n" (e.g., pneumatic, pneuma).
Contextual Fit The sentence refers to a well-known inflammatory condition of the lung. The correct, standard dictionary spelling that contains both the silent initial letter and the appropriate internal vowel structure (-eu-) is pneumonia.
Distinction from Alternatives
Neumonia, pnumonia, and newmonia are common phonetic misspellings that fail to observe the correct historical Greek root patterns or standard English spelling conventions.
Key Points
Correct Form There are two types of pneumonia: viral and bacterial.
Grammatical Role Noun phrase element (functions as the head noun completing the prepositional object slot).