The phrase "a certain act of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a specific action or deed that is not explicitly named or defined.
Example: "The investigation revealed a certain act of misconduct that could not be overlooked."
Alternatives: "a specific act of" or "an identifiable act of".
David told Allain, "There is a certain act of patronage that goes back to the Medici, when they were commissioning instruments directly from Stradivari.
Paterson was apparently once in the military, a former existence which is never explicitly discussed, but which has evidently prepared him for a certain act of heroism at a late stage in the movie.
What makes a thought or bodily motion an action is its being preceded by a certain act of will (volitions) which bring about the thought or motion.
One might even hold that she should be interpreted as asserting that the act of hurting the cat has the power to prompt a certain act of emotional projection.
Strategies to improve unintentional non-adherence (eg, due to forgetfulness) included treatment diaries or linking drug intake with a certain act of daily routine (cue dosing).
In both cases specific judgments (concerning observations or the badness of a certain act, for instance) are tentatively accepted and an attempt is made to make sense of them by appeal to more general principles that explain the judgments.
They might claim that a lot of moral disagreement stems from disagreement about non-moral facts, such as what the consequences of a certain act will be.
People asked to perform a certain number of acts of kindness per week feel better if they group them on one day, or vary them; the same act, done daily, doesn't improve mood.
I asked him, 'There have been a certain number of acts that you have not denounced.' He said, 'Our movement has nothing to do with it.' " Mr. Bassolé, a veteran diplomat, said that when he asked about Ansar Dine's alliance with Al Qaeda, Iyad ag Ghali told him that he would "reflect and come back to us".
First, a certain act-type (like the act of performing hymen reconstruction) may be the result of a variety of attitudes and beliefs on part of the agent performing the act.
Second, a certain act-type (like the act of performing hymen reconstruction) may not necessarily be perceived as signalling certain beliefs or attitudes.
