Julie,
    Welcome to the list. I have offered plenty of wrong explanations over the years and have come to trust the process.
   I think "more" is a comparative adjective that requires something to compare to. A pared down form of the sentence might be "A man has more nerve control than a woman." He could have "less nerve control than a woman" or "as much nerve control as a woman." Sometimes what you are comparing something to is clear from context; other times, it has to be made explicit. "He always wanted more money" means "more money than he already has."
    Other adjectives act the same way in requiring complements to complete them. "I am happier than a clam." "Than a clam" is sometimes called an adjective complement.
     I think it functions adjectivally and does so as a complex construction.

Craig

From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of JULIE ZAVESKY
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2012 7:19 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: grammar question--more...than

Thinking in terms of how that sentence would be diagrammed, wouldn't "more . . . than" modify the verb, classifed as adverb or adjective?
(this is the first time I am weighing in. Hopefully all will be kind in telling me why I'm wrong.)
________________________________
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Scott Woods [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2012 11:43 PM
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: grammar question--more...than
Dear List,

How would you analyze more in the following sentence:

And while a man may feel like [screaming], he has that ounce more of nerve control than a woman has.

How would you explain its relationship to than?

Thanks,

Scott Woods
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