[Steven Lake]

I seem to keep running into this big debate with my editors about when to use "said" and "asked" in a piece of dialogue. The way I seem to remember the rules (or were they just guidelines?) rules being:

1. If it's not a question, use "said."
2. If it's purely a question, use "asked".
3. If it's a hybrid of the two, use "said".
4. If it's mostly, but not entirely a question, use "asked".
5. When in doubt, and if it ends in a question, use "asked". Otherwise use "said".

So what do you guys think? Do you agree with the above rules, or is there a bit of wiggle room in there for which to use? Also, below are some examples where each rule would apply.

1. The tree down there is green.
2. Is the tree down there green?
3. This tree is green, but that one is not. Why is it here?
4. The dog is barking. Why is he barking? What is he barking at?
5. What time is it? We have to be downtown by 4pm!

So anyhow, that's my question. What do you guys think is the right answer here? Or forget thinking, what do the rules say? Is there a fixed set of grammatical rules, or just general guidelines for these scenarios?

EDIT: I fudged #2. Fixed.