Jane watched

[Bassim]

Please, would you help me with these two sentences:

Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they were around.
Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they are around.

I am wondering about the second part of the sentence. Is it grammatically correct to have both the present and the past?

 

[bhaisahab]

Please, would you help me with these two sentences:

Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they were around.
Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they are around.

I am wondering about the second part of the sentence. Is it grammatically correct to have both the present and the past?

Neither sentence makes sense; around what?

 

[Bassim]

Bai,
I wanted to say around home.

Does it make sense if I write: Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they were around home.
Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they are around home.

 

[bhaisahab]

Bai,
I wanted to say around home.

Does it make sense if I write: Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they were around home.
Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they are around home.

Not really, no.

 

[Bassim]

Bai
I am wondering if I could use, "with her"?
Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they were with her.
Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful that they are with her.

 

[emsr2d2]

You could say "... thinking how beautiful it was that they were around/with her".

 

[Bassim]

emsr2d2,

I am wondering if I could also use the present in the second part and say:

Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful it is that there are around.

 

[emsr2d2]

emsr2d2,

I am wondering if I could also use the present in the second part and say:

Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful it is that [strike]there[/strike] they are around.

Yes, "is" works.

 

[5jj]

Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking how beautiful it is that there are around.

That would work for me only as:

Jane watched her children playing in the garden, thinking "How beautiful it is that they are around".

Personally, I don't find the word beautiful very natural here. I'd use something like wonderful or marvellous.