In the context of a person, manipulation "is" if the person is notwithstanding in the role/relationship you are talk about, BRAND NEW PORN SITE SEX and "was" if they're not in that role/kinship anymore. "Ever" means "of all time", just the exact import changes with the strain. When the dependent and the adjunct verb are swapped over, it's named inversion. For a more than exhaustive explanation of why the deuce formats face the same, reckon JavaLatte's suffice and annotation that "the best" is...