Learn English – “oppose” and “be opposed”. What is the difference

In many contexts, the meanings are pretty much the same, but you might hear finished more often than completed in casual conversation. For example:

I've finished my shopping.
She finished the song.
He finished the race.

I could use completed in those sentences – the meaning wouldn't change, but the register might sound off.

The word completed can convey some sense of accomplishment. In the context of a race, it might work when the race is a major achievement:

He completed his first marathon last year.

Homework, though, is not really a major achievement, so I think you'd hear finished more often in casual conversation:

“Joey, where are you going? Did you finish your homework?”

That said, you might see completed in more formal contexts, such as a paper on education, or a course syllabus:

Students must complete six homework assignments during the semester.

The difference is in your starting point; where you measure the distance from.

You use in the distance when you start measuring the distance from where you are standing:

I could see him in the distance, 10km away from me.

You use from a distance when you start measuring from the object you are looking at, in this case where 'he' is standing:

I can see him from a distance - I am 10km away from him.