above your dinner knife is your water glass; to the right of that is a red or white wine glass, and then a sherry glass to the far right. 6 Hold your utensils . How you hold your utensils probably depends on where you come from. Both are perfectly appropriate. In general, there are two styles: American style: If you're cutting food, you'll transfer the fork to your non-dominant hand and put the knife in your dominant hand. After the food is cut, you'll lay down the blade of the knife on the edge of the plate, and switch the fork back to your dominant hand to move the food to your mouth. Continental style: The fork remains in the left hand, while you use the right hand to hold the knife and cut your food. Once you're done cutting, you might lay the blade of the knife on the edge of the plate, or just keep the knife in your hand. 7 Know how to rest your utensils . How you put your utensils on your plate communicates to the service staff whether you're finished eating or you still plan to continue. For the purpose of these instructions, imagine the dinner plate like it's the face of a clock. If you're finished eating, lay your fork and knife side-by side so that the prongs and blade are slightly above the center of the plate, and so that the handles are pointing between 3 and 4 o'clock. If you plan