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The article deals with comparison as a cognitive mechanism that determines the formation of the semantics of the phraseological units (hereinafter - PU) of the English language that convey knowledge about human being. The authors study the PU that include zoonyms and structurally represent comparative constructions of two types: comparative constructions as ... as and comparisons with the word like . The method of cognitive modeling enabled to reveal the cognitive comparison models used in creating the considered PU. The study allowed us to identify the following cognitive models of comparison: 1) HUMAN BEING AS PHYSICAL QUALITY/PHYSIOLOGICAL STATE AS ANIMAL (either physical/physiological characteristics are compared, or the characteristic is transferred from the physical/physiological to the psychological domain); 2) HUMAN BEING AS PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY AS ANIMAL (helps to comprehend information about psychological qualities and human behavior through the prism of ideas about animals); 3) HUMAN BEING LIKE ANIMAL (used when comparing human and animal features); 4) HUMAN BEING ACT LIKE ANIMAL (used when comparing the actions of people and animals). In conclusion the authors state the role of cognitive comparison models in forming the semantics of the PU in the English language, which is definitely important: they help to organize knowledge from different domains for their subsequent comparison.

The article deals with phraseological units (hereinafter - PU) of the English language containing somatisms, names of food, clothes and furniture, transmitting information about social relations. It is noted that PU are the result of secondary interpretation of knowledge, which leads to the cognitive models of their semantics formation being considered. The main research method is cognitive modeling. The authors reveal that in the course of secondary understanding of information about social relations, metaphorical, metonymic and metaphtonymic cognitive models can be involved. The research shows that when forming the semantics of PU transmitting information about social relations, the metaphorical model SOCIAL - PHYSICAL, MENTAL - PHYSICAL, as well as the models HUMAN BEING - ANIMAL (insect), HUMAN BEING (head) - CONTAINER can be used in the process of secondary interpretation. Metaphorical projection can be based on the following main characteristics: feature and action. The metonymic models involved are PART1 (product) - PART2 (producer), PART (specific manifestation) - WHOLE (phenomenon), PART1 (workplace) - PART2 (position associated with the workplace), PART1 (body part) - PART2 (external manifestation of an emotion), PART2 (cause) - PART1 (effect). The interaction of the EMOTIONAL - PHYSICAL metaphorical model and the PART1 (organ) - PART2 (functional significance) metonymic model was revealed in the metaphtonymic understanding of information about social relations.