Using a Focus Word to Help with Pronunciation Pronunciation can be improved by focusing on the right words. Knowing the difference between content words and function words is the first step. Remember that we stress content words in English as they provide the words that are most important to understanding a sentence. In other words, function words like the prepositions 'at', 'from' or 'to are not stressed, whereas content words such as the nouns 'city' or 'investment' and main verbs like 'study' or 'develop' are stressed because they are key to understanding.