Functional Macrofield of Likening in Modern English. Structural Types of its Constituents

Comparison (likening) is one of the main ways of cognizing the objective reality. On different language levels comparison (likening) as an operation of thinking, acquires a broad variety of material forms the totality of which makes up the functional macrofield of likening. This macrofield is a system, which possesses several universal features inherent in system as such. The article deals with two functional fields: the field of comparativeness and the field of metaphor. The structure is regarded on paradigmatic and syntagmatic levels.