What finally helped me to understand what measures meant instead of just memorizing them was to learn the meaning behind the labels. I am a "big picture" type of learner who does not enjoy memorization. Things that are logically linked together are much easier for me to recall. I wish that I had been taught some of these connections in school. I pretty much realized that I needed this type of process on my own.
This is an online dictionary of units of measurement:
Units of Measurement (http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/index.html)
Check the section
English Customary Weights and Measures for some interesting explanations.
