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I want to express the following idea:

Do your homework at least one day before the submission deadline.

Suppose the 2nd person knows about this submission deadline thing (or may be clear from the context). Say, the previous sentence was "The submission deadline is 1st August". Then is it grammatically correct and meaningful to say "Do your homework at least one day before"?

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    It is certainly grammatically correct and meaningful to say "... one day before it," as is "... one day earlier."
    – Peter Shor
    Jul 20, 2015 at 13:08
  • @PeterShor In the same context does this sentence 'Mark your food at least one day before having it' is correct? Can we shorten it?
    – Sayan
    Jul 20, 2015 at 13:13
  • Usually, when you must agonize over whether to twiddle a comma or word in a sentence it's a signal that you should rewrite the whole thing, coming at it from a different direction.
    – Hot Licks
    Feb 24, 2016 at 0:52

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"Before" as an adverb is typically used to mean "before this point in time".

It's better to use a preposition there, as in "Do your homework at least one day before the submission deadline" or as a conjunction, as in "Do your homework at least one day before the submission deadline occurs".

An acceptable alternative that I think captures what you're intending is "The submission deadline is 1st August. Do your homework at least one day before it".

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