1. The letter "a" by itself:
* This is the most common way to spell the "long a" sound, especially in words with a single syllable.
* Examples: ate, ask, age, away
2. The letter "a" followed by the letter "e" at the end of a word:
* This is a common spelling for the "long a" sound in multi-syllabic words.
* Examples: cake, fate, grape, name
3. The letter "a" followed by the letter "i" at the end of a word:
* This spelling is less common than the others.
* Examples: train, pain
4. The letter "a" followed by the letter "y" at the end of a word:
* This spelling is also less common than the others.
* Examples: bay, day, play
5. Other spellings:
* There are some less common ways to represent the "long a" sound, usually in words of Latin origin.
* Examples: gain, straight
It's important to remember that English spelling is not always consistent, so you'll need to learn the different ways to spell the "long a" sound.