The phrase "a certain number of things" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to an unspecified quantity of items or concepts in a general way.
Example: "During the meeting, we discussed a certain number of things that need to be addressed before the project deadline."
Alternatives: "some items" or "a few matters".
I know a certain number of things, but I could push to know more".
He said France "must say no to a certain number of things" on the international stage, notably Le Touquet.
When you put say 2,000 gigatons [billion tons] or thereby of carbon into the atmosphere rapidly a certain number of things happen.
Talking about corporate donors, Valerie Schultz, the fund's managing director, said: "If they can only support a certain number of things, they will really look at the projects and evaluate which of these projects has the most impact on the community.
But I think that after a year we have already seen a certain number of things: I spoke of some promises at the election time, and we have already completely modified the judiciary structure of the F.I.A., on both the sporting and the mobility side.
For this story, he provided several pages of bullet points stressing the importance of friends and family in his life, and he wrote out a few prepared quotes like: "God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things.
That's a familiar come-on, but it's coupled with a novel element: You get the deal only if a certain number of fellow citizens buy the same thing on the same day.
France's public services have become more digitized (legal procedures like registering a company are partly digitized), but the digitization of a certain number of steps has led entrepreneurs to expect things to be easier than they actually are.
It was then that a certain number of Rimbaud's heirs grasped this extraordinary thing: today, the only modernism worthy of the name is antimodern modernism.
In honor of a certain thing happening a certain number of years ago, today we continue our discussion with ex-Washington Post editor and present Mid-East expert Arnaud de Borchgrave.
"They think a combination of those things will lure a certain number of research-productive western faculty," he says, "but I have my doubts".
