Quote:
Originally Posted by ROBINDESBOIS
How far is the beach? = How far away is the beach?
How far is the beach from [point of origin]? = How far away is the beach from [point of origin]?
How far from [point of origin] is the beach? = How far away from [point of origin] is the beach?
How far is it to the beach?
How far is it from [point of origin] to the beach?
How far is it to the beach from [point of origin]?
What' s the distance to the beach?
What' s the distance from [point of origin] to the beach?
What' s the distance to the beach from [point of origin]?
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These are all normal.
Leaving out
from [point of origin] is normal if it is obvious in context.
In the first group, if you don't say
from [point of origin] then including
away is more natural, especially if you mean to imply
from here.
The third group is, perhaps, somewhat more formal-sounding than the others.