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This paper describes some patterns in the use of one variable morphological feature in Reading English, and shows how variation in the use of the feature reflects the interaction of linguistic and social constraints. The linguistic constraints governing the use of the feature are syntactic and lexical, and the social constraints are aspects of the vernacular culture to which the speakers belong. The patterns of variation also give some insight into linguistic changes that may have taken place in the dialect. The feature whose use is described here is the present tense verb stem. Whereas in standard English the verb stem has an-s suffix with third person singular subjects only (cf. I walk, you walk, he walks, we walk, they walk), in Reading English the-s suffix is variably used with other subjects also, as in the examples¹ below: