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I am not sure if you would agree with me, but "wind was created" doesn't sound idiomatic to me. Is there a better way to say it?

Here's the example sentence:

It doesn't matter the location where the wind was created, what matters is the direction it's coming from.

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Plenty of good, natural English isn't idiomatic. The problem here is actually that "was created" implies deliberate creation, though. Also, "the location" is redundant, it is implied by 'where'. You could try "originates".

"It doesn't matter where the wind originates, what matters is the direction it's coming from."

Of course, normative grammarians will say that should be "the direction from which it's coming", or even "from whence" (or even just "whence" if they're really stuffy), but "the direction it's coming from" is normal, everyday English.

If "originates" seems to highbrow, just replace it with "started".

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  • Anyone who recommends "from whence" is incorrect, whether in normative or descriptive frameworks: "whence" renders "from" redundant, for the same reason that we don't say "to whither" even when "whither" and "whence" are in use.
    – Darael
    Commented Feb 8, 2019 at 21:51
  • @Darael: "Strictly speaking, whence means ‘from what place’, as in whence did you come? Thus, the preposition from in from whence did you come? is redundant, and its use is considered incorrect by some. The use with from is very common, though, and has been used by reputable writers since the 14th century. It is now broadly accepted in standard English" en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/whence
    – SamBC
    Commented Feb 8, 2019 at 21:54
  • Y'know what? Fair enough, though I'd still suggest that a normative grammarian making that recommendation would be a little... Hm. "Hypocritical" isn't exactly the word, but it's close.
    – Darael
    Commented Feb 8, 2019 at 21:55
  • It depends what the norm is, though that argument pursued too far ends up in Wonderland. Put it this way; in my experience, only the [i]most[/i] stuffy grammarians insist on avoiding redundant prepositions like that. It's much more stuffy than chiding people for "PIN number" or "PAC code".
    – SamBC
    Commented Feb 8, 2019 at 21:58
  • (But an edit to that effect may be worthwhile... so I did)
    – SamBC
    Commented Feb 8, 2019 at 21:58

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