a pivotal role — decisive part
collocationC1IELTS 7+neutralcommon
to have a very important or decisive influence on the outcome of a situation, event, or process.
Say it like a native
Textbook He fulfilled a critically decisive function in the negotiations.
Native He played a pivotal role in the negotiations.
You PLAY a role; 'fulfilled a function' is mechanical and cold.
Pattern: play/have a pivotal role (in something)
In use
- Her research played a pivotal role in the development of the new vaccine.work
- In my opinion, teachers play a pivotal role in shaping young people's attitudes towards learning.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He played a pivotal role on the project.
✓ He played a pivotal role in the project.
'A role IN something', and the verb is 'play a role'.
Common collocations
play a pivotal role in— play, in, such, had
Don't confuse it
'A pivotal role' is more emphatic than 'an important role' or 'a key role', and should be used when describing something that is truly central to a result, not just helpful.