Based on dictionaries' definitions, the noun "speed" sounds to be either countable or uncountable. So please let me know if in the sentence bellow using the determiner "a" sounds natural to you or what:
- That rock is coming at us at a great speed.
Learn English – Speed (countable / uncountable)
countabilitycountable-nounsdeterminers
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Less head-scratching, fewer mistakes
I could not find anything simpler than this. Straight from the OxfordDictionaries.com
Use 'fewer' if you’re referring to people or things in the plural (e.g. houses, newspapers, dogs, students, children). For example:
People these days are buying fewer newspapers.
Fewer students are opting to study science-related subjects.
Fewer than thirty children each year develop the disease.
Use 'less' when you’re referring to something that can’t be counted or doesn’t have a plural (e.g. money, air, time, music, rain). For example:
It’s a better job but they pay you less money.
People want to spend less time in traffic jams.
Ironically, when I’m on tour, I listen to less music.
'Less' is also used with numbers when they are on their own and with expressions of measurement or time, e.g.:
His weight fell from 18 stone to less than 12.
Their marriage lasted less than two years.
Heath Square is less than four miles away from Dublin city centre.
So, the sentences in concern:
There were no less than 50 people in the dining hall
In 25 words or less, please summarize what took place
Fewer calories (but 'less calories' has also ingrained in the language these days. Maybe, it's used where the number of calories is not specified. But still, don't consider this as a rule)
The hamburgers should contain no/not less than 50% meat.
Less than 5% of the population will be affected.
Further reading recommended here.
Worth noting that 'no fewer than' is an idiom which means the number you are describing is surprisingly large. Beware of using it that way!
Short answer: The first usage of "superman" and "superwoman" should have been capitalized, because the author is almost certainly referring to the comic-book character Superman (and his female equivalent Superwoman) which are proper nouns (and should not be capitalized).
The second usage should also not be capitalized, because they are plural and so can't then be referring to a (singular) character name.
It's possible the editor thought that since the second usage is not capitalized, the first usage doesn't have to be. Or perhaps the author was trying to make a connection between the first and last sentences of the paragraph. Either way, it's kind of an "epic fail" in an English grammar study guide.
Side note: As far as I know there is no "official" comic character called "Superwoman". There have been a number of short-term characters introduced by that name, but the female equivalent of Superman is Supergirl, who has had numerous appearances in the comics and a currently-running TV show. Note also this isn't as sexist as it might sound because A) Supergirl is a teenager, and B) there have been various comics and shows titled Superboy, mostly about Clark Kent as a young man.
I know all that might be a bit nerdy, but it is useful context to know why the use of "Superwoman", as a proper name, might sound odd to some people.
Best Answer
The 'a' here seems OK (maybe emphatic) but also redundant. At any time, the rock has a single speed. I think grammatically the structure of the sentence is different with and without the 'a', but the meaning is not substantially changed.