To factor the quadratic expression \( y^2 - y - 6 \), we need to find two numbers that multiply to give the constant term, \(-6\), and add to give the coefficient of the linear term, \(-1\).
The two numbers that satisfy these conditions are \(-3\) and \(2\) since:
- \((-3) \times 2 = -6\)
- \((-3) + 2 = -1\)
Using these numbers, we can factor the expression:
\[ y^2 - y - 6 = (y - 3)(y + 2) \]
Thus, the factorization of \( y^2 - y - 6 \) is:
\[ (y - 3)(y + 2) \]