Reading Eagle: KNOW BEFORE YOU OWE: Why mortgage transparency matters more than ever
Hard to say. One would have to know a lot more about 19th century books on usage than I do in order to determine whether "the more" was perceived at the time as being supplanted (and there was an effort to preserve its use). But 'the more' has long been in natural use with the comparative.
When "more" is used before adjective or adverb as "inconvenient" in your example, it is an adverb whose primary function is to modify the following word. However, when it is used before a noun (or sometimes after a noun), it is used as a determiner or adjective. For example: I need more money. More context is required. I need something more (to eat). In the above examples, it means: greater in ...
"More likely than not" logically means with a probability greater than 50%. A probability of 50% would be "as likely as not". But the user of the phrase is not making a mathematically precise estimate of probability. They are expressing what they think is likely in an intentionally vague way, and it's misplaced precision to try to assign a number to it. As an opposite, one could simply say ...
"More likely than not" - (1) How likely is it for you in percentage ...
The stories may be make-believe, but ALSO much more than make-believe (that in the sentence): It will among other teach them the morals of the Agta, the myths and how they see the world around them. Possibly even prepare them for other skills - how to spot certain foods, teach them more words in their language etc.