Fig 1. Meaning depends on syntactic structure.

In Fig 1A, the phrase consists of the verb saw and the object of the verb the man with the binoculars, itself consisting of the noun phrase the man and a modifying prepositional complement with the binoculars. First, the modifying complement and the noun phrase are combined in what will be the object of the verb. The phrase in Fig 1B consists of a verb (saw), the object of the verb (the man), and an adjunct (with the binoculars), the means by which the man is seen. First, the object is combined with verb, and then this result is combined with the adjunct.