If it is something that I am interested in

[Rachel Adams]

Are commas used correctly in this sentence?

"I forget names and things easily, but if it is something, that I am interested in, I remember it."

 

[Tarheel]

You don't need the second one or the third one.

(Originally, I didn't notice that there are three commas there.)

 

[emsr2d2]

Are the commas used correctly in this sentence?

"I forget names and things easily no comma here but if it is something no comma here [that] I am interested in, I remember it."

See above for how I would write it.

 

[5jj]

I'd go for I forget names and things easily but, if it is something that I am interested in, I remember it.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd go for I forget names and things easily but, if it is something that I am interested in, I remember it.

Initially, I wrote exactly the same thing but when I removed the section between the commas, I wasn't happy with the result:

I forget names and things easily but I remember it.

My tendency is to put extra information between commas as long as the sentence outside the commas still makes sense.

 

[jutfrank]

Initially, I wrote exactly the same thing but when I removed the section between the commas, I wasn't happy with the result:

I forget names and things easily but I remember it.

My tendency is to put extra information between commas as long as the sentence outside the commas still makes sense.

I'm not sure I follow. The bit between the commas is not extra information—on the contrary, it's crucial information. It's the condition clause.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm not sure I follow. The bit between the commas is not extra information—on the contrary, it's crucial information. It's the condition clause.

Exactly my point. Initially, I put commas around that crucial information because I looked at the "but" and immediately thought "Well, the comma should be after 'but', not before it" so I put it there and added a second comma after "interested in". It was only then that I read the entire sentence again and realised that I had made an error so I amended my post.