Is A at the beginning of a sentence pronounced long or short a?

This is a bit of a trick question! It depends on the word itself.

Here's why:

* "A" as an article: When "a" is used as an article (like in "a book" or "a cat"), it is pronounced with the short "a" sound, like the "a" in "apple".

* "A" as part of a word: When "a" is part of a word (like "apple" or "around"), its pronunciation will depend on the specific word. Some words will have a long "a" sound, like "ape", while others will have a short "a" sound, like "again".

So, there's no single answer. It depends on the word!