There are a few things in
life that you have to know to avoid being laughed at behind your back. Here is a useful piece of etiquette I'd like to share.
If someone says "How do you do?" to you, they are not enquiring about your health. Well, they are, but the greeting must be replied to in the correct way. Do not say:
No. These are all incorrect. The
correct response to
"how do you do?" is simply
"how do you do."
Remember that. It might be useful one day.
I'm trying to find a definitive reference for this particularly English oddity. So far I can offer only these:
- http://www.hotenglishmagazine.com/culture/silviaintros.htm
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/youmeus/learnit/learnitv52.shtml