Progressive Era? What does that mean?

Definitions

Sometimes a writer will state the meaning of a difficult term within the sentence by providing a definition through rewording or examples.

• a comma after the word
• signal words such as:
  or
  also called
  which is
  also known as
  that is
  in other words
  like these
  for instance
  for example
  this other
  such as
  including
  especially

During the late 1800s, many Americans came to believe that trusts, or combinations of companies, had too much control over the economy and government.

Synonyms

Sometimes the author will provide synonyms or comparisons to help you understand the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Signal words include:

like
also
similar to
likewise
by comparison
in the same way
as compared with

Similar to earlier populism, the political movement that started with farmers, the progressive movement included middle class city dwellers, writers, teachers and scholars.

Antonyms

The author may use antonyms or contrasts to help you understand the unfamiliar term.

Signal words include:

but
rather than
however
in contrast to
unlike
on the other hand
yet
conversely

The progressives called for government regulation of business rather than the laissez-faire approach that had caused so many social and economic problems.

Logic

At times you may need to read several sentences in order to get a general sense of the meaning of the text in order to use logic to determine the meaning of the word.

Logic does not have signal cues that provide context clues.

As the first progressive president, he explained his role as, “It is the duty of the president to act upon the theory he is the steward of the people, and…to assume that he has the legal right to do whatever the needs of the people demand, unless the Constitution or the laws explicitly forbid him to do it.”