Koonin classified phraseological units according to the way they are formed.

The ways of forming phraseological units are

primary and secondary.

Primary ways – those when a unit is formed on the basis of a free word-group.

Primary ways Example

The formation of phraseological units by means of
transferring the meaning of the terminological word-groups
From free word group by transforming their meaning
By means of alliteration
By means of expressiveness
By means of distorting a word-group
By using archaism
By using a sentence in a different sphere of life
By using some unreal image
In cosmic technique we can point out the phrase launching
pad with terminological meaning ,,a platform from which a
spacecraft is launched’’ , but its transferred meaning - an
effective starting point for a career, enterprise
Granny farm – boarding house for aged people
A sad sack – clumsy person who makes mistakes despite
good intentions
My aunt! – an exclamation of surprise or amazement
Odds and ends – small items that are not valuable
In brown study – in gloomy meditation
That cock won’t fight – can be a free word-group when used
in sports, but it becomes a phraseological unit when used
metaphorically in everyday life= an expression of refusal or
rejection
To have butterflies in the stomach – to have a nervous feeling
To have green fingers – considerable talent to grow plants

By using expressions of writers or politicians in everyday life Corridors of power

Secondary ways – are those when a phraseological unit is formed on the basis of another phraseological unit.

Secondary ways Examples

Conversion To vote with one’s feet – to show your opinion by leaving an
organization
Changing the grammar form Make hay while the sun shines is transferred into a verbal
phrase to make hay while the sun shines – to make good use
of an opportunity while it lasts
Analogy Curiosity killed the cat was transferred into care killed the
cat – being curious can sometimes lead to danger
Contrast Thin cat- a poor person was formed by contrasting it with fat
cat
Shortening of proverbs or sayings From the proverb you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s
ear by means of clipping the middle of it, was formed the ph.
unit to make a sow’s ear = you cannot make something good
out of something that is naturally bad
Borrowing phraseological units from other languages Living space (German)