Winnie wrote the following expression on her paper. Please simplify the expression for Winnie. (Hint: combine like terms).

To simplify the expression \(8a - 2b + 12a - 2a + 4b\), we can combine like terms.

1. Combine the terms with \(a\):
- \(8a + 12a - 2a = (8 + 12 - 2)a = 18a\)

2. Combine the terms with \(b\):
- \(-2b + 4b = (-2 + 4)b = 2b\)

Now, put it all together:

\[
18a + 2b
\]

So, the simplified expression is \(18a + 2b\).