phrasal verb / verb phrase · neutral
play a part in
UK/pleɪ ə pɑːt ɪn/US/pleɪ ə pɑːrt ɪn/play·a·PART·in
to have an influence on or be one of the causes of something
Examples
“Education plays a part in reducing poverty over the long term.”
“Diet and exercise both play a part in maintaining good health.”
“The new policy will play a part in improving air quality.”
Band 8 sentence
“Multiple factors play a part in educational inequality, including funding disparities, teacher training and parental involvement.”
Collocations
- play a part in + noun/verb-ing
- play an important part in
Word family
Common mistakes
It plays part in reducing costs.→It plays a part in reducing costs.
They play part for climate change.→They play a part in climate change.
Say it for a higher band
5help→6contribute to→7+play a part in
Synonyms
play a role in
Easily confused
play a role in
“The media played a role in shaping public opinion.”
contribute to
“Poor diet contributes to health problems.”
Related words
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In Cause & effect
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