Which of the following statements is an example of a metaphor?
a. the horse hooves of rain landed loudly on the tin roof.
b. the dog ran straight into the patch of wet cement.
c. her voice was like a thick velvet blanket.
d. the trees swayed gently as nature's dancers.

A metaphor is a form of comparison without using the words such as "like" or "as," because that would be a simile. This means that C and D are incorrect, because those are examples of a simile, not a metaphor. In B, nothing is being compared, so that option is also incorrect. Thus, the correct answer is A, where "hooves of rain" is a metaphor - horses don't really have hooves made of rain, but somehow resembling rain.