# Writing Resumes "are" not necessary?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 20, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968 "2005-02-20T01:00:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/1 "2005-02-20T01:00:02Z")
On this morning PBS’ program \*Whad 'Ya Know _, the question was asked what is wrong with the following sentence: “Writing resumes is not necessary…” The answer given was that the verb should be are. I’ve been pondering this all day and cannot agree. If \* resumes \* is the subject, \* writing_ would have to be an adjective, but the adjective of this word is _written_. \*Writing \*is a gerund noun, and _resumes_ modifies _writing_, at least in my mind. So, since this is a syndicated program heard throughout the nation, I must be wrong. Explain why I’m wrong.
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### Author:  [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/2 "2005-02-20T01:03:39Z")
Yikes. This was on PBS? :eek:
You’re not wrong. The show was wrong.
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### Author:  [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/3 "2005-02-20T01:08:26Z")
Well remember one of the four disclaimers: “While the questions are painstakingly researched - the answers are not.”
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### Author:  [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/4 "2005-02-20T01:10:55Z")
Sorry - I meant to add some content too. You logic makes sense. Is it correct to test it by removing the gerand modifier? For example: “Writing is not necessary…” is obviously correct as opposed to “Writing are not necessary…”.
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### Author:  [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/5 "2005-02-20T01:11:36Z")
Did they definitely say “writing resumes” and not “written resumes”?
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### Author:  [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/6 "2005-02-20T01:22:35Z")
Doesn’t make much sense to me.
“Writing resumes are not required” sounds like “It isn’t required to have resumes that write.”
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### Author:  [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/7 "2005-02-20T01:30:38Z")
I agree with **missbunny**. Surely the TV programme must have been referring to \*written \* resumés?
Still, the name of the programme is _Whad 'Ya Know_, which doesn’t suggest a high level of English language proficiency.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/8 "2005-02-20T01:33:38Z")
> [@missbunny](#):
>
> Did they definitely say “writing resumes” and not “written resumes”?
The host said _writing_ and he said it several times. I’m not mistaken as to what he said, especially when he said it several times.
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### Author:  [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/9 "2005-02-20T01:36:45Z")
Not to mention that there’s nothing surprising about the grammar of “Written resumes are…” so there’d be little reason for it to be mentioned on the show.
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### Author:  [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/10 "2005-02-20T01:48:50Z")
You should write to PBS and ask them to explain.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/11 "2005-02-20T01:57:29Z")
> [@missbunny](#):
>
> You should write to PBS and ask them to explain.
I just did, but first I wanted to run it through you guys to confirm that I’m correct.
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### Author:  [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/12 "2005-02-20T02:01:55Z")
I can’t imagine how they could be right. Maybe they meant “riding resumes”; i.e., resumes that detail one’s “riding” as opposed to “jumping” or “steeplechase.” 😉
Let us know if they answer you!
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### Author:  [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/13 "2005-02-20T02:21:50Z")
Don’t you mean NPR? Or have they started showing _Whad’Ya Know_ on television?
(OK, it’s not really NPR either. It used to be PRI; now I’m not sure who carries it. But everyone refers to public radio as NPR, even if it really isn’t. On a related note, the best on-line personal ad I saw had a line to be filled out “_X_ is sexy. _Y_ is sexier.” The person had filled it out “_NPR_ is sexy. _PRI_ is sexier.” She wouldn’t go out with me.)
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### Author:  [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/14 "2005-02-20T02:27:48Z")
> [@Alan Smithee](#):
>
> Don’t you mean NPR? Or have they started showing _Whad’Ya Know_ on television?
>
> (OK, it’s not really NPR either. It used to be PRI; now I’m not sure who carries it. But everyone refers to public radio as NPR, even if it really isn’t. On a related note, the best on-line personal ad I saw had a line to be filled out “_X_ is sexy. _Y_ is sexier.” The person had filled it out “_NPR_ is sexy. _PRI_ is sexier.” She wouldn’t go out with me.)
Good points. [Whad’Ya Know](http://notmuch.com/) is produced by PRI and, in my case, is aired on CPR, an affiliate of NPR.
As for the personal ad - that sounds like the Onion personals.
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### Author:  [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/15 "2005-02-20T02:33:54Z")
It was Spring Street personals, yeah. They have several site-specific brandings, but I forget which one I used. Might have been Onion. Matter of fact, I think it was. Waste of money, in my case, unfortunately. One of my friends got his ad used in a print ad for the company! He already had a girlfriend at the time, not through the ads.
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/16 "2005-02-20T03:46:09Z")
Here’s a thought…
Maybe ‘writing’ is being used as a noun, as you would use handwriting.
“Writing resumes are not required; typewritten resumes are acceptable.”
I know this is awkward usage, but is this show British or some other English speaking country other than the US?
OR
Maybe there’s a format of resume called “Writing” or maybe even “Wrighting”.
In that case it would be correct even though it would sound weird because of the natural tendency to associate the word ‘write’ with resumes.
If there was a format of resume called “Johnson-Spielberg”, it would be correct:
“Johnson-Spielberg resumes are not required. DiGallucci format is preferred.”
I know this is going out on a limb, but maybe someone who does resumes professionally could shed some light on this.
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/17 "2005-02-20T03:48:05Z")
> [@jasonh300](#):
>
> Here’s a thought…
>
> Maybe ‘writing’ is being used as a noun, as you would use handwriting.
>
> “Writing resumes are not required; typewritten resumes are acceptable.”
OOPS! Writing would be an adjective of resumes…but once again, an extremely awkward one.
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### Author:  [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/18 "2005-02-20T03:52:42Z")
Maybe it could be “write-in résumés.” (Just a desperate thought.)
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/19 "2005-02-20T04:12:41Z")
Grasping at straws and needing sleep…
Wry tin resumes?
:dubious:
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### Author:  [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/20 "2005-02-20T04:16:32Z")
[Whad 'ya know](http://www.notmuch.com/Show/Archive.pl?s_id=336)
I found an archive of the show…the most recent episode is from 2/12 on the site. I guess tomorrow or sometime during the week, they’ll put in today’s episode. You need RealPlayer to listen.
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