Even with just the base game, one tends to notice how what the card represents in the Dominion world has tie-ins to what the card would do. It's gotten to a point where it helps you recall what some of the cards do, and can even let you guess at what a card is supposed to do (especially if you're given the context of what set it's from, and its... theme and mechanics). Not sure if we ever got a comprehensive list anywhere, but here's my effort to try:
-land/property = gives victory points | e.g. various Victory cards
-towns, communities, villages, and places where a lot of people are gathered = more +Actions | e.g. Village, Fortress, Acting Troupe, City
-royalty = tends to grant repeat executions of actions | e.g. Prince, Royal Carriage, Throne Room, King's Court
-Transportation, logistics, granting physical access to other areas = discounts on cards | e.g. Highway, Bridge, Bridge Troll, Quarry
-religious = trashing | e.g. Chapel, Bishop, Priest
-negative superstition = Cursers | e.g. Witch, Sea Hag
-Storage = mulligan cards | e.g. Silos, Cellar, Storeroom, Secret Chamber, Warehouse, and Vault
http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=19025.msg773094#msg773094===================== EDIT:
Knowledge/creating things = card draws | e.g. Library, Ruined Library, Smithy, Laboratory, Experiment