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> 受験生は夏休みが勝負なのよ?

So since there is no verb here, how do the は and が function here?
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2016-10-21T13:17:41.487
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2016-10-22T17:39:40.263
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meaning copula は-and-が no-da
How do the は and が function here?
* As you can see in [this chart](http://www.japaneseprofessor.com/reference/grammar/conjugations-of-the-japanese-copula/), な in なのよ is the attributive form of だ ("the copula"). And だ/です safely works as the predicate of a sentence. (e.g., 今日は日曜日です, 私は学生です)
  * よ is a feminine sentence-end particle.
  * Here both は and が are used in one sentence, and this can be understood in the same way as you interpret 私は猫が好きだ or 彼は背が高い.
  * 勝負 here is a noun which means the same thing as [勝負【しょうぶ】所【どころ】](http://jisho.org/search/%E5%8B%9D%E8%B2%A0%E6%89%80), "critical point".

Therefore this sentence basically is a feminine version of 受験生は夏休みが勝負なのだ,
which is an emphatic version of 受験生は夏休みが勝負だ.

> 受験生は夏休みが勝負だ  
>  → As for test-takers, summer vacation is the critical point.  
>  → Summer vacation is the most important term for students preparing for
> entrance exams.

References:

  * [Usage of nan desu?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/14565/5010)
  * [What exactly is "なの" (nano)?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/514/5010)
  * [What is the meaning of ～んです?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/5398/5010) -- there is a good answer regarding (な)のよ, (な)のだ, (な)のです, etc.
  * [私は猫が好き and 猫は私が好き](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/17857/5010)
  * [how could a sentence end with (noun + "よ"?)](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/12986/5010)
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2016-10-21T13:55:52.033
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According to "A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar", page 322:  
の: a sentence-final particle used by a female speaker or a child to indicate
an explanation or emotive emphasis.  
Examples:  
母はまだとても元気なの。  
主人はエンジニアなの。

So the translation could be:  
夏休みが勝負なの。  
Summer vacation is when the fight is decided.

The sentence above is identical to  
夏休みが勝負だ。

が is the subject marker.  
は is the topic marker.

The full sentence is:  
受験生は夏休みが勝負なのよ。  
For the applicants, summer vacation is when the fight is decided.
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