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Grammar fix

a crucial role

play/have a crucial role (in something)

to be an extremely important or decisive part of a situation, process, or outcome; to have a major influence on what happens.

collocationC1common

Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • Parents play a crucial role in shaping their children's values and attitudes.daily life
  • In my opinion, government support plays a crucial role in improving public health, because without sufficient funding, many essential services would not be available.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: play/have a crucial role (in + noun/gerund)

WrongShe has a crucial role for the team's success.

RightShe plays a crucial role in the team's success.

You 'play a crucial role IN' something — not 'for'.

Patternplay/have a crucial role (in + noun/gerund)

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff Mentors fulfil an indispensable function in a child's development.

Natural Mentors play a crucial role in a child's development.

'Play a crucial role' is the natural collocation; 'fulfil an indispensable function' is bureaucratic.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • play a crucial role + in
    a crucial rolea key rolein the processa vital role

Don't confuse it

At B1/B2, learners may use 'an important role' or 'a big part', but 'a crucial role' is more emphatic and suggests that without this person or thing, the outcome would be very different.

Try it in Daily Speak →