Dobrý den,

mám za úkol vyplnit chybějící čárky ve větě. Nejsem si jistá ale u dvou vět, za jakoukoliv radu bych byla moc vděčná.

Věty zní:

• My parents used to tell me that if I crossed my eyes they would stay that way forever.
• Now that I’m older and wiser I know that they were just making fun of me.

Patří tam vůbec nějaká čárka? Pokud ano, za sebe bych dala v první větě asi čárku za “eyes”, v druhé za “wiser”, ale nevím, nevím…

Děkuji!

Comma punctuation isn't as strict in English as it is in Czech, and often (though not always, see, for example, Vztažné věty (Relative clauses)), (the) use of the comma is optional. In my opinion(,) commas in your two sentences aren't strictly necessary(,) but it's also possible to put commas in simply to break the sentences up if they otherwise begin to look “too long”, and that might be the case here. It's the writer's choice.

You're right, if you choose to use them here, they would go after “eyes” and “wiser”, but they're not strictly necessary.

See also the answers to the same question here :

Answer 1: (…) I'd use no commas here (I'd read it without any pause), but if commas are liked, I feel you'd be better with one either side of if I crossed my eyes. // Most style guides like a comma to offset an introductory element (here a temporal adverbial, or one explaining reason) of five words or over (and many others). As in your answer. But there is a move towards more minimal punctuation, and, free of editorial / professorial constraints, I'd omit it. But it's certainly at least permissible.

Answer 2: I agree (…) No commas at all is the best way to go in both cases.

[Neither of the respondents there is me , ale víc hlav – víc rozumu: two heads are better than one.]