There is no need to get confused....... count the number of terms and then simplify each term separately.
In the last step you can add the answers to the terms together,
Terms are separated by #+ and -# signs, so there are #2# terms:
#color(blue)((-2/3)/(1/4))" "+" "color(red)(1/2xx1/2xx1/3)#
#=color(blue)(-2/3 div1/4)" "+" "color(red)(1/12" "(larr "top x top x top")/(larr"bottom x bottom x bottom")#
#color(white)(xx.xxx)darr#
#=color(blue)(-2/3 xx4/1)" "+" "color(red)(1/12)#
#=color(blue)(-8/3)" "+" "color(red)(1/12)" "larr# find a common denominator
#" "darr#
#color(blue)(-8/3 xx 4/4)#
#" "darr#
#=color(blue)(-32/12" "+" "color(red)(1/12)" "larr# now add the numerators
#=(-32+1)/12#
#=-31/12#
#= -2 7/12#
