Can you proofread what's in the double quotes please?

[EngLearner]

Suppose I write a sentence, send it to my friend who's a native English speaker, and ask him to proofread it:

"John goes to school every day."
Can you proofread what's in the double quotes please?

Is the definite article "the" optional or required in this case?

 

[jutfrank]

Is the definite article "the" optional or required in this case?

That question doesn't make sense to me. I can't see how such an article can be 'optional' or 'required'.

What I presume you're asking is whether you should use it or not.

 

[EngLearner]

What I presume you're asking is whether you should use it or not.

Yes, that's what I'm asking.

I know that if I say it like this: "Can you proofread the sentence in the double quotes please?", then the definite article in bold is not needed. Maybe it's because there's already a definite article before the word "sentence."

 

[emsr2d2]

It's optional.

 

[jutfrank]

I know that if I say it like this: "Can you proofread the sentence in the double quotes please?", then the definite article in bold is not needed. Maybe it's because there's already a definite article before the word "sentence."

I see what you're thinking now. Yes, that's right. Since you haven't used "the sentence", you should use the article, yes.