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Sorry, if I insist on my recent question, can I write (or say in a casual conversation) this sentence?

The students who were absent, that I don't know why, should study this topic more.

It means "I don't know why they did that (got absent)" as an apposition.

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  • @F.E. yes I accept that is ambiguous, but you admit it is grammatical? that can refer to a sentence before or after it, right? It was a fake example, as you may say something even irrelated in the middle of a sentence
    – Ahmad
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 18:29

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That can introduce a subordinate clause, but "I don't know why" is really an independent clause (it tells what you think of the students, but doesn't qualify or describe the students themselves in the sentence.) Use which instead.

The students who were absent--which I don't know why--should study this topic more.

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  • Thank you, to repeat my sentence in the other question, can I say The students who were absent--which I don't like mention their name-- should do more practice.
    – Ahmad
    Commented Jul 28, 2015 at 18:44
  • Yep. "The students who were absent--which I don't like to mention their name--should do more practice" works. "... I won't mention their name ..." is a bit more idiomatic, though.
    – LawrenceC
    Commented Jul 29, 2015 at 18:35
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To me the independent clause that I don't know why is an explanation of the remaining "The students who were absent should study this topic more.". I would use though:

The students who were absent, though I don't know why, should study this topic more.

It doesn't really read well, though.

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  • Thank you, it was very helpful, I think the word I was looking for in the other question could be though as it is in Persian Har Chand Ke and it's probable that we shorten it in such occasion to Ke which corresponds to which and that
    – Ahmad
    Commented Jul 29, 2015 at 5:24

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