1. **State the problem:** We have a large rectangle with width 7 yd and height 14 yd. A smaller rectangle of height 3 yd is removed horizontally near the top, creating two shaded regions: one above and one below the removed strip. 2. **Formula for area of a rectangle:** $$\text{Area} = \text{width} \times \text{height}$$ 3. **Calculate the area of the large rectangle:** $$7 \times 14 = 98 \text{ yd}^2$$ 4. **Calculate the area of the removed (unshaded) rectangle:** $$7 \times 3 = 21 \text{ yd}^2$$ 5. **Calculate the combined shaded area:** $$\text{Shaded area} = \text{Total area} - \text{Removed area} = 98 - 21 = 77 \text{ yd}^2$$ 6. **Answer:** The combined area of the shaded regions is **77 yd\textsuperscript{2}**.