Possessive reflexives consist of possessives such as my, his and their. In a sentence such as Janet broke her doll, it is not clear if her refers to Janet or to another female. However, with the addition of the word own, it is no longer ambiguous. In Janet broke her own doll, her refers to Janet.
In certain cases, the possessive always refers to the subject. These structures often involve movements made with a part of the body. Here are examples:
Luke stretched his neck.
The dog wagged its tail.
The students clapped their hands.
The guest crossed her legs.
The boy bit his tongue.
Structures with possessive reflexes can be ambiguous. However, this is often not the case with parts of the body. In sentences such as The dog wagged its tail, the possessive can only refer to the subject.
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