What is the difference between past tense and past particple?

[wishwell]

Question #: 4: What's the past tense of will?
User's answer: Leave Blank
Correct answer: would
Additional Notes:

How can the past tense of "will" be "would" when "will" indicates the future?

The same goes for "shall" - how can the past tense be "should"?

[Casiopea]

#4: In reported speech.

Max: Mom will be home for dinner. (future)
Pat: What did Max say?
Sam: Max said Mom would be home for dinner. (past tense of 'will')

[wishwell]

In the example you gave,

Max: Mom will be home for dinner. (future)
Pat: What did Max say?
Sam: Max said Mom would be home for dinner. (past tense of 'will')

would "Max said Mom will be home for dinner" be wrong?

Isn't "would" future too? Doesn't it indicate a future action?

I'm lost on this one.

[Casiopea]

You'd need punctuation, like this,

Pat: Max said, "Mom will be home for dinner."

It's called direct speech or quoting exactly what Max said. If you don't want to quote every wor--say you forgot what Max said exactly--then don't use punctuation and change the verb to past tense,

Sam: Max said Mom would be home for dinner.

Pat uses 'will' and then Sam relays it using 'would' because the original statement "Mom will be home for dinner" was spoken in the past, a minute ago.

Does that help?

[wishwell]

Yes it does - thank you!

[mykwyner]

The modal auxilliary verbs can, may, will, and shall can be used to express various degrees of necessity, possibility, willingness, ability or obligation when used in their past tense forms.

I will drive home tonight. (the certain future)
I would drive home tonight. (I am willing, but something is preventing it)
I can drive home tonight. (I am capable and willing, but not certain)
I could drive home tonight. (It is possible, but less likely than "can")
I may drive home tonight. (It is possible, but I have not decided)
I might drive home tonight. (It is possible, but not likely)
I must drive home tonight. (It is necessary)
I shall drive home tonight. (Now archaic, "will" is used for all future forms)
I should drive home tonight. (Shows obligation, but not necessity)

Note: The differences between shall and will are interesting but unimportant. Soon the word shall will exist only in its past tense form should.