1. **State the problem:** We need to find an expression for the area of a composite L-shaped figure made of two rectangles. 2. **Identify the dimensions:** - Left vertical rectangle: height = $x + 7$, width = 4 - Bottom right horizontal rectangle: width = $x + 8$, height = 2 3. **Calculate the area of each rectangle:** - Area of left rectangle = width \times height = $4 \times (x + 7) = 4x + 28$ - Area of bottom rectangle = width \times height = $(x + 8) \times 2 = 2x + 16$ 4. **Add the areas to get total area:** $$\text{Total area} = (4x + 28) + (2x + 16) = 6x + 44$$ 5. **Simplify the expression:** The expression $6x + 44$ is already in simplest form. **Final answer:** $$\boxed{6x + 44}$$