How are you? A brief question with an abundance of answers | Letters

Readers share a range of responses to one of the commonest greetings in the English languageMy late father-in-law, who lived to be 104 and was a veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation and the north Africa war, would inevitably respond to the question “How are you?” (Letters, 23 December) with an enigmatic “Surviving. That’s the name of the game.” The dialogue is now used regularly by members of the family in fond memory of his fortitude.Ray WoodhamsCawthorne, South Yorkshire• Re the unwanted health inquiry, as someone in my ninth decade, I’ve taken to asking “How long have you got?”Roger WilkinsonLeasgill, Cumbria Continue reading...