I would like to know some of the best books (or other accessible materials) out there with a thorough treatment of English tenses and in particular the perfect state. The book should be accessible to advanced learners* of English language.
I've found @StoneyB's article of great help, but I would like to check out more. I like/am interested in the descriptive approaches to English grammar. The following quote from StoneyB's article caught my attention:
Recent studies look at how rather than what the perfect means and suggest that meaning is not expressed by perfect constructions but inferred by hearers/readers from both the prior eventuality introduced and the larger discourse context.
Update:
- Re:@Jim's comment below, advanced learners = with a CEFR C2-level.