“A semicolon broke the law; it was given two consecutive sentences”

A semicolon riddle was posted on Reddit—Jokes on January 24, 2016:
 
Q: What happened when the semicolon broke grammar laws?
A: It was given two consecutive sentences.
 
A different form of the joke was posted on Reddit—Oneliners on June 7, 2018:
 
“A semicolon broke the law; it was given two consecutive sentences.”
   
         
Reddit—Jokes
What happened when the semicolon broke grammar laws?
submitted January 24, 2016 by MaxwellSinclair
It was given two consecutive sentences.
 
Twitter
Best of Reddit
@BestoReddit
What happened when the semicolon broke grammar laws? : It was given two consecutive sentences.
10:31 AM - 24 Jan 2016
   
Twitter
LaffGaff
@LaffGaff
What happened when the semicolon broke grammar laws?
It was given two consecutive sentences.
#funny #jokes #jokeoftheday
5:12 PM - 25 Jan 2016
     
Google Books
3000 Jokes, 2997 Laughs
By Mike Haskins
London, UK: Portico
2017
Pg. ?:
Q: What happened when the semicolon broke the law of grammar?
A: He was given two consecutive sentences.
 
Reddit—Jokes
What did the semicolon get after breaking the grammar law
submitted November 15, 2017 by Tainted_gooch269
Two consecutive sentences
COMMENTS
Awportune
Colon cancer
 
Reddit—Oneliners
A semicolon broke the law; it was given two consecutive sentences.
submitted June 7, 2018 by jlking3