Sentence:  The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the <WSD>actual</WSD> structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Existing in reality, not just potentially; really acted or acting; occurring in fact. (from 14th c.)