hello! i've been having a bit of trouble with my homework! i'd appreciate it if one of you people could help me out! (this is a middle school mathematics homework question)

Answer:
The ( simplified ) expression is 7x - 8
Step-by-step explanation:
We are given the expression ( 2x + [tex]\frac{ 1 }{ 2 }[/tex] ) + ( 5x - 8 [tex]\frac{ 1 }{ 2 }[/tex] ),
[tex]( 2x + \frac{ 1 }{ 2 } ) + ( 5x - 8 \frac{ 1 }{ 2 } ) - remove ( )\\,\\2x + \frac{ 1 }{ 2 } + 5x - 8 \frac{ 1 }{ 2 } - combine like terms,\\\\2x + 5x + \frac{ 1 }{ 2 } - 8 \frac{ 1 }{ 2 } - add / subtract,\\\\Simplified Expression ; 7x - 8[/tex]
Solution; 7x - 8