8 1/2-21/4-31/3 help please

I assume this might be :

[8 + 1/2] - [2 +1/4]- [3 +1/3]    ????........if so, we have

[ 8 - 2 - 3] +  [1/2 - 1/4 - 1/3]       getting a common denominator (12)  of the fractions, we have

[3] + [ 6/12 - 3/12 -  4/12]  =

3 - 1/12  =

2 + 11/12