Using Anecdotes in Formal Writing

An anecdote is a brief story used to make a larger point. Anecdotes can add a storytelling touch to your explanatory and persuasive writing—connecting your ideas to real life and real people. Here are some ways you can use anecdotes in the main parts of formal writing.

Beginning: To Introduce a Topic

In the ocean, two hungry dolphins pick up speed when they spot a school of flying fish. Sensing danger, the fish dart ahead. Soon they are cruising through the deep blue water at 20 miles an hour. As the dolphins get closer, the flying fish break through the surface, spread their fins like wings, and take off. Amateur explorers have called them “dragonflies of the deep,” but flying fish are most definitely fish.

Middle: To Support an Idea

The bleachers in the gym are unsafe. Some of the boards are cracked, which makes them hard to navigate.