Past participle after noun: “proposed cost” vs. “cost proposed”

Question

I have the following two examples:

1. Our proposed cost is expensive.
2. Our cost proposed is expensive.

Is there any difference between them? Or is the second sentence wrong?

Answer 1

Since cost already implies expense it would be more common to say "Our proposed cost is high"

You could also say "the proposal is expensive" or "it is an expensive proposal"

Answer 2

In English, the adjective (or a participle acting as a modifier) is usually placed before the noun it modifies. Thus, it would be more natural to say:

Our proposed cost is high.

Of course, there are exceptions to this pattern. See postpositive adjectives for more information.

Answer 3

Although "Our cost proposed is expensive." is not grammatically incorrect, it is a bit hard to follow and might not be what you are really trying to say. In the sentence "Our proposed cost is expensive." the topic is "Our proposed cost", where in "Our cost proposed is expensive." it is only "Our cost". Sentence 1 is straight forward, where sentence 2 eludes to evasiveness. The listener might interpret it as "Our cost[, as it is currently proposed,] is expensive." and wonder why the unsurety. Stick with sentence 1 (unless you are in a planning meeting where you are in a current argument to devise a "Proposed Cost")

Answer 4

As a rule of thumb:

• put the adjective before the noun in most 'simple' cases
• put adjectives after the noun when they are themselves part of a more complex phrase or clause, including if that means an implied relative clause.

So for example:

He is a tall man.

A man [taller than anyone I know].

A white face.

A face [white as the driven snow].

You can then get cases where an adjective actually represents an implied relative clause, e.g.:

The cost [that is proposed] is too high.

The cost [proposed] is too high.

In cases such as this last example, you superficially get an 'adjective' after a noun. But in reality, you can see that it is ostensibly verbal because e.g. it can be made progressive and/or have an agent introduced:

The cost [being proposed (by them)] is too high.

However, you could also use 'proposed' as a simple adjective before the noun. Notice in that case that it cannot be made progressive or have an agent introduced in English:

The proposed cost is too high.

*The being proposed cost is too high.

*The proposed by them cost is too high.