The first step you have to do is look for the like terms. The like terms are the letters that are the same. Such as... 7a and 9a is like terms, ALSO 6c and -15c is like terms. The second step is to add the like terms together. Such as... 7a+9a= 16a , ALSO 6c+(-15c) = -9c. The last step is to put both numbers in an problem for. Such as... 16a-9c