Identify the redundant word or phrase in the sentence: "the spy descended down the basement stairs."

In the sentence "the spy descended down the basement stairs," the word "down" is redundant because the verb "descended" already implies movement downward. When you "descend," by definition, you are going from a higher place to a lower place, so adding "down" does not provide any additional information. Therefore, the sentence would be clearer and more concise by simply stating "the spy descended the basement stairs," eliminating the redundancy and improving the overall quality of the writing.

The other words in the sentence do not have this redundancy. "Basement" specifies the location, and "stairs" indicates the means of descent. Thus, removing the word "down" enhances the sentence without losing meaning.