word usage - Is it correct to say "to be so"?

My teacher said "Are you one of my students?".

Can I reply with " Fortunately, and I am glad to be so".

?

Another queation about English accent.
English don't pronounce the letter R when it is followed by a constant, but they do pronounce it when it is followed by a vowel letter.

Will they pronounce it if it is in the end of the word but the next word starts with a vowel sound?

Thank you in advance.

Answer

What struck me about this is that you've already indicated your being glad by inserting "fortunately". I would suggest either "Fortunately, yes (I am)" or "Yes, and I'm glad to be so." (Now, of course, there are many words to be found as a superior replacement to "glad", such as delighted, honored, privileged, etc. and preceding any of these words with "very" would improve the sentence. My preferred construction using "so" would be: "That I am, and more than delighted to be so.")

As many words in the English Language, "so" has many different meanings. Among others are:

"in the aforesaid state or condition", as, "It is broken and has long been so."

or

"such as has been stated" as, "to be good and stay so"

So, as stated in comment above, using so in such a manner as your example could refer to your being glad to be fortunate, although I believe that the meaning will still be understood regardless.

About English pronunciation, I wonder if that wouldn't be better put as a separate question. It could also be noted that after the British strip Rs off some of the words, they throw Rs on others, like America(r) and Australia(r).

Definitions are from Dictionary.reference.com