Philippa Russell, from Birmingham, asks whether she should wake up an elderly gentleman who starts to snore at a concert.

Holy Hypnos, Hero of Harumphers. We cannot let snoring spoil sweet music. But we do not want to humiliate the elderly gent in public. The trick is to wake him up so gently that he thinks that he has woken up naturally, of his own accord. So I recommend a very gentle nudge or tickle. PH

John Bristow, Swansea: “Only if he is snoring out of tune.”

Lizzi Davis, Woking: “Only if he is your husband.”

John Stanning, Winchester: “The female questioner specifies a snoring gentleman. She knows, of course, that women never snore.”

James Carne, Soporville: “In my case you would have to be pretty damn quick to get in before I receive a punch in my side from my wife.”

Ron Collins, Badminton: “Wait until there’s an interval and then wake him up.”

G. Kahan, Rustington, West Sussex: “Please.”

Readers are invited to send their responses to this week’s question by December 1. A selection will be printed in a fortnight.

What is the etiquette for somebody who is seized with a coughing fit in the middle of a concert?

A. Mills, Marylebone

Send letters to: Modern Times, The Register, The Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98, 1TT, fax 020-7782 5870, or e-mail etiket@thetimes.co.uk (including postal address)