I would appreciate it if somebody could explain the usage of so in the following sentences.
So that you can be admitted quickly, please have your tickets ready.
I think, it can be rewritten as Please have your tickets ready, so that you can be admitted quickly, though I'm not sure.
So that is what you really think of me.
This sentence expresses that speaker is wonder of what the listener thinks about the speaker. Am I right? (I think, there is better way to rewrite speaker is wonder of what the listener thinks about the speaker).
So that is where I lost my book!
It expresses the wonder of speaker that he lost his book in such a damn place. Am I right?
So, just to be clear, that is not the correct way to talk to your employer.
I cannot understand the use of so in this sentence at all.
Best Answer
This particular word has gazillions of meanings and usages, so it's going to be confusing. But your examples are as follows.
This is correct but it's a bit of Yoda English. In normal case, I'd turn it around, just as you suggested. In fact, that's the proper way to use it, in my view. The way it's above, it puts a lot of focus on the reason why something should be done. A bit like this.
Now, the next example is wrong. In the state it is now, by itself, it makes no sense.
It can be made to work by precedence or succession of a context, like so.
But most likely, it's just a grammatical error and what you actually mean is this (note the comma and question mark). Still a bit cryptic without a context but it expresses the speaker's question of the listener's opinion, just as you guessed. Please note that the usage of really makes it sound as the opinion isn't favorable (but that's a slight hint only).
The usage of so here is equivalent to based on the evident facts... or inferring by the known circumstances. The difference is that the first one is colloquial and the others are formal.
Next example.
This can be interpreted in two ways, just as described above. The difference is rather slight (no wonder you're not seeing it). Here, you state a reason and draw a conclusion.
But in this case, assuming it's known and agreed from elsewhere (or communicated somehow outside your statement) that John's a thief. It's still a conclusion but it's made based on more independent premise than just your words.
When you say: "it expresses the wonder of speaker that he lost his book in such a damn place", you're right. Because you refer to the known and agreed premise.
In the above example, I see that "so" refers to a previous conversation and the speaker means this:
Note, however that this:
is totally different. It expresses surprise and request for verification from the previous speaker. A bit like so.