My question is how to react when people do not respond to an invitation, nor to a gentle nudge (such as an emailed “I wondered if you had received this,” with a second copy of the invitation) — and ...

In today's Miss Manners column, advice columnist Judith Martin responds to a host seeks advice on handling friends who arrive without RSVPing.

Why is it not considered rude to engage me in conversation against my will, but it IS considered rude to tell people you ...

Miss Manners assures you that you are not being impolite if, after one or two short responses, you find something to do that ...

Why do strangers want to make small talk with me while waiting in grocery checkout lines, at bus stops, at the bank, during flights, etc.? STOP!

Miss Manners hopes, however, that you will not otherwise dumb down your charming, seated dinner parties because of a few outlaws. We, the purveyors of fish knives and strawberry forks, are a dying ...

In today's Miss Manners column, advice columnist Judith Martin responds to politely avoiding small talk with strangers in ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m a new employee at a large company. How do I respond to nosy co-workers asking about where I previously worked? I want to be polite, but I feel my privacy is being invaded.

Miss Manners assures you that you are not being impolite if, after one or two short responses, you find something to do that won’t give you a stiff neck and instead say, “Excuse me, I’m going to ...

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 ...

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Strangers want to make small talk with me while waiting in grocery checkout lines, at bus stops, at the bank, during flights, etc. I do not want to make friends with strangers every ...

Why is their desire to talk to me more valid than my wish not to talk to them? Is there an etiquette rule that says I must suffer instead of them?