Distribute and combine like terms.
1/2x + 3/2x + 3/2 - 1/4 = 5
(1/2 + 3/2x) like terms = 2x
(3/2 - 1/4) like terms = 1 1/4
so 2x + 1 1/4 = 5; subtract 1 1/4 from both sides to get:
2x = 3 3/4; divide both sides by 2 to get x by itself
x = 1 7/8 as a mixed number or 15/8 as an improper fraction is your answer