You can make an annotation feature follow a line feature or the boundary of a polygon feature. The Follow Feature Options dialog box allows you to specify how annotation will behave when it follows a feature.

To open the Follow Feature dialog box, right-click the annotation feature, point to Follow, and click Follow Feature Options. To make the annotation curve as it follows the feature, click Curved. You can also constrain the side of the feature that the annotation will follow. In this case, the annotation will follow the side the cursor is on. You can also press the Tab ket while you are editing to switch the side of the feature that the annotation follows.

The offset is specified in map units. In this case, the annotation will be offset 150 meters from the feature it follows.

After you've set the Follow Feature options, make sure the annotation feature is selected, right-click the feature you want it to follow, and click Follow This Feature. The feature will flash, and the annotation feature will bend to follow it. If you click the wrong feature, you can repeat the last step. The selected annotation feature will follow any line feature that you right-click and tell it to follow using the Edit Annotation tool.

After you've made a piece of annotation follow a feature you can drag it along that feature and it will curve to fit. Place the pointer over the middle of the annotation feature. The pointer will change to the four pointed Move Annotation pointer. Press the L key as you drag the annotation to flip its reading direction.