This classroom-based study investigates whether students who receive explicit instruction make more gains over time and more improvement to produce academic formulas in controlled (c-test) and uncontrolled (essay) situations, respectively, than those who do not receive such intervention. Whereas both groups improved over time, the treatment group made more gains in producing academic formulas on a c-test. No significant differences were found between the groups in performance on the essays. However, an examination of the formula types produced on both measures revealed that the treatment group produced a greater variety of target phrases. The qualitative data, collected through interviews with selected learners from the treatment group, indicated that students' perceptions of the need to use academic formulas in writing as well as the interaction of students' motivation and their awareness of the frequency and functions of the phrases may influence how they learn and write target formulas.