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Where should I place an adjective when the noun is followed by a preposition? Which is the right way to use of the below sentences?

He is a suitable man for any post.

Or

He is a man suitable for any post.

Is there any difference in meaning between these two sentence?

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    I don't think there is any difference in meaning but, yes, the implication or stress varies. While the first sentence is a plain statement, the second one stresses about his suitability.
    – Man_From_India
    May 6, 2017 at 15:57
  • While both are correct, they seem a bit clunky and redundant. I would say: "He is suitable for any post." We already know the gender of the person because of the pronoun "He", so omitting "a man" makes the sentence more clear and concise.
    – bobpal
    Jul 24, 2017 at 19:23

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The second sentence makes more sense, because 'suitable' pertains to 'post', which is why they should sit closest to each other in the sentence. What is a 'suitable man' is really the question? Would anyone understand that? Context is, of course, everything. So, just maybe this makes sense—in a given context.

If you consider the second to have parts omitted (text simplification), in other words, "He is a man who is suitable for any post." it becomes visually more clear how the two sentences differ. Having said that, why not say "He is a _______ man, which makes him a suitable candidate for any post." But then again, I think one should avoid using the verb BE in relation to people. Use active verbs instead. "He's a _______" puts him in a box. Instead, "He works as a _________" and "He manages..." sounds a lot more empowering. Hope this helps. (My apologies, if my answer is round-about-like, but I'm new here and it's my first answer on this platform—but there's more to come, so you're welcome to follow me.)

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I might add that the natural place for adjectives (see many other languages) is after the noun. So, by placing an adjective before the noun you are giving emphasis to that adjective. And that's basically it.

Alternatively, you could use Nominalization: "the man's suitability to any job" (but probably not in this case).

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