Word stress

Any good dictionary will indicate to you the primary and secondary stress of a given word. Check in their index to see what diacritical marks they use for each.

Some dictionaries use a bold stress mark for the primary, and a normal mark for the secondary.

(My American Heritage, for example, does.
I notice that the Cambridge Advanced Learners (online) does not)

I let my Merriam Webster Online subscription lapse, but I think it indicates both.

Farlex does (online)

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/indefensible

(You can also click on the speaker logo for audible)

Well, what I want to know is how can I indicate it when I am transcribing a sentence.
I have a transcribing exam coming up and I am not allowed to use a dictionary.

Cheers!

Did you look at the Farlex example? That's the way it's done in my dictionary.

Do you have any examples at all of what the teacher expects?

Are you supposed to break the words into syllables?

Are you supposed to underline the stressed syllables?

If so, why not use a double, or a heavier underline for the primary?

Is you problem that you don't

I just have to transcribe a sentence. I have to indicate stress with ['].
But the problem is that I cannot talk outloud on the exam, ofcourse not.
So I need to know a way how I can find out the word stress without saying something outloud.

Cheers!

I'm guessing that the teacher will read the examples aloud (or play them).

You will write them down, and then add the stress marks.

Hopefully, there'll be enough time to repeat in your mind what you've just heard, while looking at what you've written. Just take your time, and do it syllable-by-syllable. Try to remember which syllables received the stress.

What else ca

Thank you for all the help.
But my teacher will not be reading anything out loud.
I just get a sentence and I have to transcribe it.

Cheers!

I'm feeling really stupid.

The sentence is written in standard English?

You are supposed to add the stress marks?

Do you rewrite the sentence, perhaps separating the syllables?

I have to be missing something!

There's no way that you can tell from looking at a sentence on paper, where the stresses fall - unless you already know.

Daphne SchroderI just get a sentence and I have to transcribe it.

You are supposed to know the correct pronunciation before you take the exam.

Are you using the IPA system for transcribing these words? If so, place a vertical tick just before the stressed syllable. ( ' )

Place it high in the line of print (where a superscript would