We must follow order of operations rules (PEMDAS).
Thus, mult. and div. must be carried out before addn. and subtrn.
Calculate the quotient of (-2/5) and (4/5). In other words, divide (4/5) into (-2/5). Invert (4/5) and multiply:
(-2/5)(5/4) = -1/2
Then we have, in place of the original expression, the following expression:
-3/4 - 1/2 + (2 1/2).
Rewriting 2 1/2 as an improper fraction and elim. the parentheses yields:
-3/4 - 2/4 + 5/2, or -3/4 - 2/4 + 10/4, since the LCD is 4.
This yields 5/4 (answer)