照理说来，单词不认识，只须查字典便解决，习语不识，也只须查字典便解决。但我看一般人的毛病，不在不能查单词和查习语，而在见了单词自以为认识而其实并不明白，和见了习语而不当它是习语.例如见到“chrysanthemum”，“extempore”，“paraphernalia”，“octogenarian”， “hippopotamus”，“metamorphosis”，等字，自己知道不识，便查字典，但见到 “get”, “take”, “in”, “for”, “well”, “thing”,等单词，自以为已认识，便不查字典；见到“kill two birds with one stone”, “rain cats and dogs”, “in cold blood”, “have an oar in every man’s boat”, “curtain lecture”, “lion’s share”,等习语，知道它们是习语，便查字典，但见到“take to”, “dispense with”, “come of”, “as well”, “if anything”, “all but”等，也许不当它们是习语，便不去查字典。
其实单词越生僻，意义越少；单词越常见，意义越多；认识“chrysanthemum” 一字，知道它是“菊花”就行了；像“take”这个字，似乎大家都知道，但那自以为认识它的人,未必懂得它的种种意义。常见单词所生出的习语也最多;例如“take” 本身有种种意义，后面加上了种种adverb，或preposition,或 adverb 和preposition, 又化出种种习语，各有各的意义。
常见单词有种种意义，也就是有种种活用法，所以决不可把它们当作一字一义看待，决不可认定“get”是“得到”，“take”是“拿”，“in”是 “在里面”，“for”是“因为”，“well”是“好”, “thing”是“东西”。
我要劝你，当你遇到一句里并没有生词而不懂的时候,细细想一想，你对于那些极常见的字，是否完全明白？而且句里会不会有习语？现在举几个关于 “take” 的例在下面:
1.He takes pupils.
2.They take lessons in music.
3.Do you take any newspaper?
4.I don’t take your meaning.
5.The novel did not take.
6.Don’t take him for a fool.
7.He soon took to her.
8.He has taken out a licence tor carrying a pistol.
9. I’ll take down his name and address.
10.The lady began to take in typewriting.
这十句的意思是：
1. 他教授学生。
2.他们从教师学习音乐。
3. 你常看什么报么？
4.我不懂你的意思。
5.这章回小说不曾风行。
6.不要当他是呆子。
7.他不久就爱上了她。
8.他已经领得携带手枪的执照。
9.我要记下他的名字和住址。
10.这女人开始在家里替人家打字。
从第六句到第十句里的 “take for”, “take to”,“take out”, “take down”, 和“take in”都是习语。
据我所知道，解释常见单词的种种意义和种种习语的小字典，要算 The Pocket Oxford Dictionary和The Concise Oxford Dictionary最好。
你当然知道，字典是预备查的，不是预备读的；“读字典”三个字听上去多少笨！但我却要劝你读字典；我要劝你读字典里的常见单词的种种意义和种种习语。我在多年前自学英文，曾经把里的“a”，“the”, “at”, “in”, “on”, “for”, “it”, “there”,“that”, “book”, “thing”，“matter”，“come”，“take”，“get”，“see”, 等常见单词，逐一细细读过;我觉得这样一来，在阅读上很有帮助;我希望你也试一试。（但你得注意:我劝你读常见单词，不劝你读生词;我从来不在字典里读生词，我认为读生词往往是劳而无功的。）
我劝你在字典里读常见单词，不劝你读生词;可是别以为我主张生词不必认识，或者认识愈少愈妙。多识生词总是好的，不过常见单词比生词难懂，所以值得多注意罢了。
常见单词和生词的分别，没有绝对的标准；把“get”和 “chrysanthemum” 相比，当然 “chrysanthemum” 比 “get”“生”得多,不过把“get”和“take”相比或把“chrysanthemum”和 “extempore”，就难说那个比那个 “生”。Collins Cobuild English Dictionary把单词按出现频率来划分,分为五星最常见的单词，直至一星，没有星级的，也是最不常见的单词，是有道理的。
单词的种种意义在字典里往往被一，二，三，四地分开解释着，好像是各不相关的；其实大都从原义逐渐转化出来，互相有线索可寻;从广义说，一个字在字典里有好几个意义, 通常只有一个是原义，其它都是转义，就是假借而来的，有时字典里的各个意义都是转义，那原义却因为已经作废而不被载入;不过字典里每个字的种种意义的排列，不一定依照它们的转变或假借的次序；例如The Concise Oxford
Dictionary的序文里说 “From the order in which the senses of a word are here given no inference must be drawn as to their historical or other relations, the arrangement being freely varied according to the requirements or possibilities of the particular word. Sense-development cannot always be convincingly presented without abundant quotation from
authorities, and the historical order is further precluded by the uniform omission of obsolete senses.”
习语在字典里通常依照字母的次序排列；例如“take after”，“take back”, “take down”，“take for’’，“take in”,等等。不过某个用法是否习语，各字典的编者看法不同，也就并不一致；例如 “Don’t take him for a fool,” 里的 “take for”, 在 The Pocket Oxford Dictionary，The Universal Dictionary，和Thorndike Century Senior Dictionary里都被看作习语，但在The Concise Oxford Dictionary和Thorndike Junior Dictionary 里都不被看作习语。
为了测验你自己的理解力,请你把下面各句细读一下，每句问一问自己“我懂么？不？不懂在什么地方?”，且慢看我的解释。
1.Try to spring the joke on your mother directly she comes in.
2.I wonder what in the world she asked you to read to her for.
3.The last thing he will do is to fool away his time.
4.What you have to put up with is nothing to what I went through.
5.Incidentally，do you follow what he is saying?
6.He lived here for a year or so before he joined up.
7.She felt hurt at being told that she had no voice in the matter.
8.I did not turn in till eleven last night because I half expected you would come.
9.They say that he speaks English very well for a Chinese,
10.They owe him a good turn and will do everything for him short of murder.
11.When it comes to playing the piano, ask her advice by all means.
12.I happened to catch him calling you up the other day.
13.I for one insist that we look into the matter one of these days.
14.He expresses himself well because he makes a point of putting things plainly.
15.He had to cut the class since he was unequal to answering the teacher’s questions.
16.Putting two and two together, he has made up his mind to set off early tomorrow morning.
17.There seems to have been nothing much the matter with the machine of late.
18.We dropped in on him just now only to find ourselves in the way.
19.I take it that you got to town before rain set in.
20.As things stand, there is no telling what will become of them before long.
这二十句的意思是:
1.试试看，等到你的母亲进来了便突然把这个笑话讲给她听.(spring突然说出。directly一经,立即，是连接词)
2.我不知道她究竟为了什么目的请你读给她听。（inthe world究竟；到底。加重“ what ”的语气。read to读给…听）
3.他最不肯做的事便是浪费他的光阴。（他决不肯浪费光阴。）（last最不近情的，最少可能的。fool away 浪费)
4.你不得不忍受的比起我经历过的还算不得什么。(have to…不得不。put up with忍受。is nothing to远 不及。went through经历[困苦])
5.顺便说一句，你连贯听懂他正在说的话么？（Incidentally顺便说起。follow连贯听懂。）
6.他在从军以前在这里住过了一年左右。（…or so,大约；左右。joined up从军）
7.有人告诉她说她对那件事没有发言权，便生气了。（felt hurt，感觉被人冒犯。voice发表意见的权利）
8. 昨天晚上我到十一点钟去睡觉，因为我多少盼望你会来。（turn in去睡。half有一些;多少）
9.就中国人而论他讲英语讲得很好。（They say， 一般人说;大家说。for就…而论）
10. 他们该向他报恩，除了杀人以外什么事都肯替他做。（good turn善意的行为；服务；恩惠。 short of,不及…厉害;不及）
11.至于弹钢琴，你当然可以向她请教。（When it comes to至于；关于。byall means必然；尽可以）
12.不久以前的某天我恰巧发现他正在打电话给你。 (happened to恰巧。catch him…ing发现他正在…。calling up打电话给。the other day不久以前的某天）
13.我个人坚持我们不久便调査这件事。（for one就个人而论。look into,查究。one of these days不久以后）
14.他表达意思好好地,因为他注意到明白地说话。(expresses himself表达他自己的意思。 makes a point of…ing留心做到…。 putting表达）
15.他不得不缺一课，因为他不能回答教师的发问。(cut缺[课]。unequal to…ing不能…）
16.思考了一下，他已经决定明天淸早动身。（Putting two and two together从各方面思考。 made up his mind决定。set off动身）
17.近来这机器好像不曾有多大的毛病。（nothing much很少。 the matter失常的。of late近来）
18.我们刚才去拜访他，竟然发现我们妨碍他。（不料他正忙着，我们去拜访打扰他了。）（dropped in on偶然访问。 only to 不料有…的结果。in the way妨碍的。）
19.我想在雨开始以前你已经到了城市.(take it that…以为…。set in开始)
20. 就现在情形而论，不能说不久以后他们将有什么遭遇。（Asthings stand，就现在情形而论。there is no...ing…是不可能的。what will become of什么将临到。before long不久以后）
不论单词和习语，当然不能全靠临时翻查，还得多多记牢。单词和习语记得愈多愈好。现在先说单词。
经常有人问我记单词有什么方法。他们说英文的单词真多,简直记不胜记。这是事实。英文的单词比中文的单词多得多(有四十多万）,而且还在不断地增加。多记单词，英美人也感觉应接不暇，我们中国人日常生活和英文很少接触，当然格外困难。我提出若干方法在下面，希望对于你有些帮助。
一：强记。有许多字只得强记;例如“dog”是“狗”， “leopard” 是“豹”，“giraffe”是“长颈鹿”，“hippopotamus”是“河马”。
二：和句子一起记。例如We all know that the mammoth was one of Nature’s mistakes. It aimed at prodigious strength; and sacrificed to this end many virtues. Those who talk about a superman make the same mistake.” 这儿的 “mammoth”，“prodigious”，“sacrificed”，和“superman” 都和句子一起记容易记些。常见单词的各种意义都该和句子一起记。
三：把相关的字一起记。例如关于letter（信）便可以记牢write,
receive, post/mail, send, answer/reply to, deliver, acknowledge, address, date,
sign, dictate, stamp, fold, seal, open, file, enclose, miscarry, registered,
express, post-office, postage, postcard, postman, postmark,
pillar-box/letter-box, postal order, post-paid, mail telegram, letter-paper,
note-paper, envelope/cover, correspond, correspondent, correspondence, epistle,
note, epistolary等等
四：记prefix(前缀)，suffix(后缀)和root(字根)。例如： “inter-” 是“…中间”,
international是“国际间的”, intermarriage是“互通婚姻”；“-less”是“没有”，homeless是没有家的，treeless是“没有树的”
习语相似的很多，一不小心，便要弄错；所以最好和句子一起记。