The phrase 'were not around' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to talk about or describe a situation or state of affairs in the past. Example sentence: We had a great time at the party, but unfortunately our friends were not around.
The Free Syrian Army were not around and I was caught by government forces.
His parents were not around much because they had to work.
Since the Kings were not around to give their side of the story, the criminal justice system had to take the doctors at their word.
If the Bottom Line goes, it would be a loss, even for those who were not around for Mr. Springsteen's five-night stand in 1975.
In fact, I tended to feel more uncomfortable when armed guards were not around; Israelis traveling in the United States occasionally say the same thing.
Then, too, there has not been a slowdown or downturn for a decade, meaning that many top managers are used to only good times and were not around -- in any capacity -- during the last squeeze.
Ms. Weiner and Ms. Collins were not around; they had already found new jobs — Ms. Weiner as an officer manager in Brooklyn, Ms. Collins as a copy editor at a male lifestyle magazine.
A little over a week ago, Wagner echoed Lo Duca by questioning why some players were not around after a one-sided loss, then waving in the direction of the lockers of Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltrán and Luis Castillo.
Having clambered over the back wall of his house this week when United Nations peacekeepers were not around, Mr. Sankoh, a potbellied 63-year-old with a reportedly bad heart, is on the run.
The Giants issued a supplement to their media guide, including biographies of eight players who were not around in the spring — meaning a lot of expensive Giants jerseys that were purchased in the spring are redundant in the fall.
When I arrived, the owners were not around, but the inn was being run by a hospitable young Spanish couple who had just moved to the area for the job.
