Neither is incorrect, but let me suggest a better question: what is the most natural and common way for a native speaker to express this thought? I would say it this way - The "Evening Star" is actually not a star at all, but the planet Venus.

Wares = items a person is selling. Do you have a dictionary? Diesel-belching = belching is an impolite sound and odor from a human stomach, used figuratively here, to say that the buses smell like diesel fuel. Rumble = the sound of ground moving, like an earthquake or a large vehicle passing by (and other similar sounds), here characterizing the movement of buses into the town. I believe the town is called Carrizal. You're welcome.

Most business people consider Excel to be a must-have program. It has a wealth of versatile functions for organizing and compiling data - so many different time-saving methods can be devised! The downside, though, is that there's a steep learning curve.

Small errors and uncommon word usage make your written expression sound stiff and formal. Here's a more relaxed version: How have you been? Do you miss our school days? I do, and I miss you so much. I really enjoyed our winter holiday together. Hoping we can go out and have some fun soon. [The next part lacks context. Is is responding to something both you and your friend can see and hear? About people you know? I assume yes, for number 1]: 1. It seems they [they should be replaced by names] are having an argument. Do you know what the problem is? [for number 2, I instead assume you are discussing a photo of people you don't know] 2. I think these people are having an argument. It looks like a heated discussion. I'm trying to guess what they're talking about.

That's a very clever cartoon, I laughed! Honestly, I think it works best with no title added, but I'll try. How about 'Current definition of CANCEL CULTURE' or just 'Cancel Culture'?

'I'm going to tell you...' is just slightly better than 'let me start...' Unless your first words are seriously changing the topic of current discourse, I think there is no need for any introductory language - it's too stiff and formal. However, an attempt to focus listeners attention is probably a good idea. For this, I would say, 'I've had a pretty busy week' or 'There have been a few surprises this week' or 'I'm proud to report a big win this week' or 'Well, I wish I had better news about my progress this week...' Get the idea?

'by any chance' is a common expression in informal SPOKEN English, however, I strongly suspect it originated as a translation of an expression from another language. It is equivalent to 'is it possible?' In my opinion, its use in this expression could be improved, like this: 'Hey, by any chance are you going to the office today?' but it's just a little better. The stated version (yours) sounds to me like 'oops, I forgot to speak politely, so I'll glue this little junk phrase to the end of the sentence.' But still, it is also common, and quite acceptable.

Accent reduction for this purpose is ridiculously overrated. A person who speaks your language with an accent, but with excellent grammar and enunciation, will earn your respect, every time. A person with little or no accent, but poor knowledge of word usage and sentence construction, very quickly reveals their ignorance and inability to communicate effectively. Your accent is a part of you. As long as it doesn't cause you to seriously mispronounce words, it is charming and valuable.