To multiply \( 4 \) by \( -\frac{5}{8} \):
\[ 4 \times -\frac{5}{8} = -\frac{20}{8} \]
Now, simplify \(-\frac{20}{8}\):
\[ -\frac{20}{8} = -\frac{20 \div 4}{8 \div 4} = -\frac{5}{2} \]
Now, let's convert \(-\frac{5}{2}\) to a mixed number. Since \(-\frac{5}{2}\) is negative, we can express it as:
\[ -2 \frac{1}{2} \]
So the answer is:
\(-2 \frac{1}{2}\)
Thus the answer in simplest form is:
\(-2 \frac{1}{2}\)