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I've studied English for only a few years so my English may sound strange. I'm sorry if what I wrote doesn't make much sense.
The other day at my English class, my teacher corrected my answer "I will have finished my homework before noon." into "I will have finished my homework by noon.
Then my questions are as follows.
・ In general, can "will have done... " and "before ..." be used together?
・ If not, why? What makes it incorrect?
・ If it's OK, which of "by" and "before" sounds more natural?
In fact, both are grammatically correct. But "by noon" is the most common phrase for the English speakers. Literature too abounds of the examples where eminent authors have used "by noon" (All right, sweetheart, I'll be through by noon for sure-The Monster Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs).
Though 'before noon' is correct, but since it is not generally used, nowadays it may seem obsolete and somewhat peculiar to the ears of an English speaker.
Your teacher has corrected your rightly because correct English is the one which appeals correctly to the ears of English speakers. Moreover, even for non-native speakers like me, "by noon" conveys the meaning of "till noon" better than "before noon."
Dictionary.com gives a definition of "by" as "6. not later than; at or before," so simply saying "before [time]" wouldn't include the exact moment of [time].
