# 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:** 11
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/41 "2005-02-21T07:34:45Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#):
>
> You know, you wouldn’t have these problems with Espera…never mind. :dubious:
>
> Stranger
What about the problem of confusing the homonyms that translate as “daughter”, “cat”, and “dirty linen”? Man, you Esperantists must rely _heavily_ on context.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/42 "2005-02-21T10:02:21Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#):
>
> Doh, hit wrong button.
>
> That totally changes the context. I would take this sentence to mean that “Writing portfolios [samples of someone’s writing] are in no way necessary in today’s educational assessments” making the original sentence incorrect, and the correct answer offered by the show accurate.
Apparently I did not remember the sentence correctly, but a sentence like that is better forgot as soon as possible.
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### Author:  [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/43 "2005-02-21T11:51:35Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#):
>
> Writing portfolios is in no way necessary in today’s educational assessments.
This is the way I heard it when listening just now. It’s about 8:07 after the beginning of part C.
The way it’s read makes the intended meaning less ambiguous: the word stress is on “writing” rather than “portfolios.”
I think this interpretation is more clear with “portfolios” than with “resumes.”
That said, sentence or verb choice _is_ ambiguous. What would you call a “writing portfolio” to solve this problem? Or would we have to resort to preceding this sentence with a definition of “writing portfolio”?
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### Author:  [@dhcstar957](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhcstar957)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/44 "2005-02-21T12:28:02Z")
I would say that a “writing portfolio” is nothing more than a sampling of written works. Some positions require a writing portfolio as part of the application process. It could be a sample of letters, essays, and/or technical writings.
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### Author:  [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/45 "2005-02-21T12:49:11Z")
So is it “The yolk of eggs is white” or “The yolk of eggs are white”?
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### Author:  [@dhcstar957](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhcstar957)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/46 "2005-02-21T13:14:29Z")
“The yolk of an egg is white.” and “The yolk of eggs are white.”
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### Author:  [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/47 "2005-02-21T15:16:18Z")
Gotcha. 😃
They’re yellow
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/48 "2005-02-21T17:03:50Z")
> [@Excalibre](#):
>
> What about the problem of confusing the homonyms that translate as “daughter”, “cat”, and “dirty linen”? Man, you Esperantists must rely _heavily_ on context.
😃
I just threw that in for fun. Esperanto is not nearly as uniquely explicit as advocates would like to believe and has, as you point out, a number of assumptions that rely on context. But they love bringing it up as a panacea for every problem in linquistic communication.
Oh, and slight nitpick: it’s **Esperantistos** not **Esperantists**.
Stranger
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/49 "2005-02-21T18:35:37Z")
> [@dhcstar957](#):
>
> “The yolk of an egg is white.” and “The yolk of eggs are white.”
“The yolks of eggs are white (or yellow or whatever color you desire).” _Yolks_ has to be plural, too, and if it were singular the verb would be singular since that is the subject.
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### Author:  [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/50 "2005-02-21T18:55:30Z")
> [@barbitu8](#):
>
> “The yolks of eggs are white (or yellow or whatever color you desire).” _Yolks_ has to be plural, too, and if it were singular the verb would be singular since that is the subject.
Thanks **barb**. As I hope was clear from the context, the whole thing was a set-up for a very old gag, and I knew the _grammatical_ answer very well 🙂
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### Author:  [@dhcstar957](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhcstar957)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writing-resumes-are-not-necessary/290968/51 "2005-02-21T23:32:59Z")
> [@Malacandra](#):
>
> Gotcha. 😃
>
> They’re yellow
Wew!! Yes you got me. :smack:
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