Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner12]

Hello, teachers!!

The nation in which the average individual economizes his energy and his money, or, which means the same thing, spends them wisely, will always be a prosperous nation.
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What do you mean by the average individual?

(1) Does the average individual include rich people?
(2) Does the sentence above say that the per capita energy and money use in one country is small?

Thank you in advance.

[pugachevV]

1). Average = the result obtained by adding several amounts together and then dividing the total by the number of amounts.
To find an average income you just add up the income of everybody in the country and divide the total by the number of people whose income you have included.

When you describe people as average, it means "ordinary, or usual".
What is an ordinary or usual person?

I suppose average means not poor and not rich - a person who has a job, a couple of kids, lives in a small house and is hard-working - perhaps what we call " The middle class". So, the calculation to arrive at what an average person is, must include rich people, but I would say a rich person is not average; neither is a poor person.
2). The sentence says:- A nation where the (ordinary) people work hard and spend their money wisely will always be prosperous.
(Unfortunately this does not take into account the venality,excess and idiocy of politicians who too often do neither ).

[learner12]

Dear pugachevV:

Thank you so much for your exceptional explanations.

I learned a lot from you every time I asked you about English.

Take care and have a great day!!