1. **State the problem:** Factor the expression by taking out the greatest common factor (GCF) from the terms $-36y$ and $-32$. 2. **Identify the GCF:** The positive GCF of $-36y$ and $-32$ is given as 4. 3. **Express each term as a product of the GCF and another factor:** $$-36y = 4 \times (-9y)$$ $$-32 = 4 \times (-8)$$ 4. **Write the original expression as a product of the GCF and the remaining expression:** $$-36y - 32 = 4 \times (-9y) + 4 \times (-8)$$ 5. **Factor out the GCF 4:** $$4 \times (-9y) + 4 \times (-8) = 4 \times \big((-9y) + (-8)\big)$$ 6. **Simplify inside the parentheses:** $$4 \times (-9y - 8)$$ **Final factored expression:** $$4(-9y - 8)$$